The saveONenergy HOME ASSISTANCE Program* (HAP) is a free income-eligible program designed to help those in need to conserve electricity and lower their electrical bills.
GreenSaver is very proud to deliver HAP on behalf of 45 electrical utilities across Ontario.
This monthly newsletter keeps sector stakeholders informed about the program and to spread the word about this great initiative.
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Program Stats
Through GreenSaver
Over 10,000 applicants in the program
Over 6,200 upgraded homes
56% of applicants are live in social housing
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GreenSaver has been contracted to deliver HAP for the following electrical utilities:
- Atikoken Hydro
- Algoma Power
- Brant County Power
- Brantford Power
- Cambridge and North
Dumfries Hydro
- Canadian Niagara Power
- Centre Wellington Hydro
- Cooperative Hydro Embrun
- E.L.K. Energy
- Enersource Hydro
Mississauga
- Entegrus
- Erie Thames Powerlines
- Espanola Regional Hydro
- Fort Frances Power
- Greater Sudbury Hydro
- Haldimand County Hydro
- Hydro 2000
- Hydro One Brampton
- Hydro One Networks
- Innisfil Hydro
- Kenora Hydro
- Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro
- Lakefront Utilities
- Lakeland Power
- Milton Hydro
- Newmarket-Tay Hydro
- Niagara-on-the-Lake Hydro
- Niagara Peninsula Energy
- Norfolk Power Distribution
- Orangeville Hydro
- Orillia Power
- Parry Sound Power
- PowerStream
- PUC Distribution
- Rideau St. Lawrence
Distribution
- Sioux Lookout Hydro
- Thunder Bay Hydro
- Tillsonburg Hydro
- Toronto Hydro
- Wasaga Distribution
- Waterloo North Hydro
- Welland Hydro-Electric
- Wellington North Power
- Westario Power
- Woodstock Hydro Services
Contact GreenSaver
P. 1 855 591 0877 F. 1 888 777 8416
Feedback Send us an email,
write to us at:
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Maximizing Participation as a Social Housing Provider
Brantford Social Housing took a strategic approach to participating in the Home Assistance program; they have focused first on enrolling buildings most in need of energy upgrades and utilized co-op students to help make all residents aware of the program and maximize their participation.
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"We got on board as quickly as
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Tom Hodgeson, City of Brantford Social Housing Manager
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possible to get our tenants their new fridges and air conditioners. We wanted to reduce our energy costs and the environmental benefits were also important. It's a win for the tenant, win for the housing provider, and win for the planet," says Tom Hodgeson, Social Housing Manager for the City of Brantford. Brantford Social Housing heard about the program at a Feb 27, 2012 event where Brantford Power did a presentation outlining the program and how to participate. "It immediately peaked my interest. I thought, we have a large number of tenants that are on a limited income, who have trouble making ends meet, so this would really be a benefit for them," Hodgeson notes.
Their co-op students went door to door to promote and help tenants fill out their applications (these social housing tenant applications are no longer a requirement of the program, but were last year). With the summer students' help, tenant involvement skyrocketed. Hodgeson was really excited that so many people took advantage of the Home Assistance program because it showed that the effort that they put into promoting it really paid off. The tenants' reactions have been very positive. Some tenants were skeptical because they didn't believe that there could be a program which provided free appliance upgrades, but once they received them, they were thrilled.
Brantford Social Housing has benefited from the Home Assistance program in various ways: the money saved through the program can go toward other social housing renovations to benefit their tenants, the capital investment made frees up funds for other much needed upgrades, and the positive education and good will generated has made people feel good about their homes.
"To this point we have thoroughly enjoyed our participation in this program, and we look forward to our continued involvement with the rest of our units," concludes Hodgeson.
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It's Fun to Display at the Y-M-C-A
GreenSaver was recently at Hydro One Brampton's Annual Commercial & Industrial Information Breakfast event, where we met Joshua Cherian and Greg Miller, Facilities Managers with the YMCA. Joshua, the local manager for Brampton, invited us to their Community Eco-Fair where we met over 200 people. Many of the attendees we met qualified for the program and everyone seemed willing to pass a brochure along to someone who might. While the event was a great success, and it may lead to a more formal working relationship with the YMCA, it was instructive as well.
HAP is a targeted program, with a specific qualification criteria, so the outreach we do for it tends to be targeted as well. What has emerged is that there are two levels of targeting: the first is to those agencies that are specific to HAP eligible participants, and the second is for those groups that are supportive of HAP eligible participants.
We work with program partners such as food banks, social housing providers, social services agencies, and charitable groups, all of whom are specific to clients/tenants who could qualify for the program. But what about those who work with a more mixed segment of the population, and are supportive, but not specific, to lower income groups?
The YMCA supports about 30% of members with some form of subsidy based on income, and engages in many outreach and educational activities that support single parents and low income families. While the YMCA is not a group you might think of first when reaching out to those on a lower income, their presence in the community and strong social equity principles make them an ideal outreach partner.
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Enersource Reaching Out to Faith
Based Organizations to Promote HAP
Last year, Enersource - Mississauga's local electricity provider - began working with GreenSaver to help deliver the Home Assistance program in its service area. Since then, GreenSaver has focused much of its outreach efforts on the high number of social housing buildings in Mississauga. At the beginning of 2013, Enersource sought ways to broaden its communications outreach so that more people would become aware of the program and apply.
Among the new outreach approaches implemented was an effort to reach out to faith-based organizations, with all faiths and denominations represented in order to build upon these groups' existing charitable endeavours.
"We know that faith-based organizations tend to have support programs available to help parishioners who are in need," said Natalie Cheung, Project Leader for HAP at Enersource. "HAP is designed to help low-income customers better manage their electricity needs."
GreenSaver and Enersource helped bring awareness of the program at an Earth Day event held at Erin Mills United Church. During the event, environmental issues were discussed within a framework of community and responsibility. The church's Minister, Kathy Toivanen was helpful in identifying existing assistance through other organizations, such as Greening Sacred Spaces.
In Mississauga, there are many faith-based groups who own, or are associated with non-profit housing for seniors and other low income groups in their community. Many of these individuals are ideal candidates for HAP.
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HAP Keeps Growing
The Home Assistance Program is funded by the OPA and administered by each electrical utility (LDC) in their service areas.
This month we are pleased to announce that E.L.K Energy Inc. has contracted with GreenSaver to deliver HAP in its service area near southern Ontario. A quick fact about E.L.K: it was incorporated in 2000, as the successor to the Hydro-Electric Commission for the Town of Essex, Lakeshore Hydro and Kingsville Hydro.
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