Low Income Programs - Hydro One Experience

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Low Income Programs- Hydro One Experience

• Ian Campbell
• Conservation and Demand Management
• Hydro One Networks

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Low Income Programs Private Residences

• Hydro One has been providing free retrofit
  programs for its low income customers since 2005
• Home Energy Efficiency Grant
• Audits, basic measures such as CFLs, programmable
  thermostats, clothes racks, and extended measures
  such as upgraded insulation air sealing
• With CMHC / NRCan - 2005 2006
• With OPA 2006
• Application for funding to OPA in 2008
• First Nations
• Audits, basic (as above) and extended measures
  such as air sealing upgraded insulation, EE
  appliances
• Chippewas of Georgina Island in 2006
• 6 communities in 2007
• Application for funding to OPA in 2008

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1. Hydro One Home Energy Efficiency Grant

• Hydro One/CMHC/NRCan agreement signed in 2005
  provided model for Energuide for Low Income
  Households (EGLIH)
• First agreement of its type in Canada
• Hydro One provided up to 3,000 for EE
  improvements for low income households with
  electric space heating
• Leveraged RRAP and Energuide for Houses
  frameworks for delivery
• 24 customers that were in the process before
  Energuide for Houses was cancelled in 2006
  received free retrofits

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Home Energy Efficiency Grant Low Income
Customers (pre EGLIH) (contd)

• 3,000 for energy efficiency initiatives for low
  income homeowners with electric space-heated homes

• Forgivable loan to customers to upgrade
  sub-standard housing to minimum health and safety
  standard
• Promoted Hydro One program, processed
  applications, screened for eligibility

• Home pre-and post energy audit free to customer
  (value 300-500)

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Home Energy Efficiency Grant Low Income
Customers (pre EGLIH) (contd)

• May 2006 Energuide for Houses cancelled
• 46 applications had been received
• 30 had completed pre-audit
• 24 homes were retrofitted
• 177,000 annual kWh saved

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2. Home Energy Efficiency Grant Low Income
Customers (post EGLIH)

• The OPA conducted a low income pilot in 2006-2007
• Hydro One leveraged the OPA delivery structure to
  deliver a program to all its low income customers
  in areas that could be served by the OPA selected
  vendors
• Hydro One screened customers for electric space
  heating for vendor marketing, provided bill
  messages and directed customers with payment
  issues to the program
• The vendors screened customers for eligibility,
  conducted audits and coordinated installation of
  all basic and extended measures
• 259 Hydro One low income customers received
  retrofits

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Home Energy Efficiency Grant Low Income
Customers (post EGLIH) (contd)

• Funded home audits and basic measures for all
  customers
• Provided capped funding for extended measures for
  non-Hydro One customers

• Provided funding for deeper extended measures
  than Conservation Bureau, but only for Hydro One
  customers

• Qualified customers, and oversaw audits
  retrofits within contracted service territories
  across Ontario.

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3. First Nations Pilot

• Provided education, basic EE measures
  comprehensive retrofits
• Chippewas of Georgina Island
• 91 homes eligible
• Up to 3,000 per home

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First Nations Pilot (contd) - Chippewas of
Georgina Island

• Approach involved entire community at the same
  time 3 phases

• Assessment, education and implementation of basic
  conservation measures - for all homes in the
  community (70)
• CFLs, low flow shower heads, programmable
  thermostats, pipe wrap
• 2. Energuide for Houses energy audit
  installation of extended conservation measure
  for electrically heated homes (15)
• furnaces appliance replacement, weather
  sealing, insulation
• 3. Verification Evaluation resulted in 5
  reduction in energy usage

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4. First Nations and Energuide for Houses

• Pursued retrofits (similar to Georgina Island) of
  houses in FN communities, where A audits had been
  conducted before EnerGuide First Nations program
  was cancelled.

• 6 communities were identified with a significant
  number electrically heated homes, with previously
  completed A audits (indicating retrofits that
  could be justified by the TRC test, but on which
  the work had not been undertaken)
• Each community visited to complete the targeted
  retrofits
• While in the each community, other houses were
  identified that required basic and/or extended
  retrofit measures and they were completed while
  in the community
• 125 homes received basic and/or extended measures

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5. Social Housing Program

• Partnership with Social Housing Services
  Corporation (SHSC)
• Other funding partners NRCAN, OPA, Gas
  Companies
• 2.5 M funding from Hydro One
• Pilot stage in 2005
• 2 year program 2006-2007
• 5,040 homes participating in 112 buildings within
  Hydro One territory
• 22,000 measures installed
• Funded by Hydro One Dx Rates (MARR)

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Social Housing Program (contd)
What was retrofitted and upgraded?
In Suite

• Lighting
• Smart thermostats for in-suite heating/cooling
• (with instruction for residents)
• Upgrade of window AC
• Energy efficient refrigerators

In Common areas

• Lighting
• HVAC upgrades and control
• Air Sealing and insulation upgrades
• Domestic hot water upgrades

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Social Housing Program (contd)

• Incentive
• 400 average per home
• 50 for Training
• 50 for Pre-audit
• 500 per home
• Results
• 1,400 kWh savings per home (15)
• 83 million kWh lifecycle
• 722 kW

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Lessons Learned

• Leverage existing channels
• Partnering with other organizations brings
  existing skills and knowledge to bear
• also avoids duplicate or counter-productive
  activities
• Utilize existing low income definitions used by
  social or govt. agencies
• Identifying, and thus marketing, to low income
  customers is difficult