Tories axe home retrofit support

Last week, the Conservative government axed the ecoEnergy Retrofit – Homes program, which helped homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their houses.

Apparently, the program was too successful for its own good. Initially launched in 2007, the government topped up funding for it in the 2009 Economic Action Plan and then again in this year’s budget. In total, about $720 million was earmarked for home retrofits over the span of four years .

That may sound like a lot, but the much-touted Home Renovation Tax Credit (also part of the Economic Action Plan) cost the government $3 billion in a single year, more than four times the energy retrofit program .

That money could have been used to make another 2 million Canadian homes more energy efficient – saving families money, decreasing global warming pollution and creating new jobs. The federal government estimates that for every dollar spent on home energy retrofits, homeowners invest $10 in the local renovation industry.

The success of the program speaks to the fact that Canadians want to do their bit to cut energy use. Yet the government has canned it, along with funding for renewable energy and climate research. One more sign that this government is out of step with Canadians.

Click here to send Prime Minister Harper a letter urging him to restore the program.

Gillian McEachern
Program Manager
Environmental Defence