Human Resources, Labour and Employment
April 20, 2011
The following is being distributed at the request of Newfoundland Labrador
Housing:
Residential Energy Efficiency Program Applications Available
Newfoundland Labrador Housing Corporation is now accepting applications for the new $12-million Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP) announced in Budget 2011- Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador. The program will provide $4 million annually over three years.“Budget 2011 contains significant investments in Newfoundland Labrador Housing, and the Residential Energy Efficiency Program is one of several programs that will assist many low-income homeowners to upgrade their homes, making them more affordable in the long term,” said the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for Newfoundland Labrador Housing Corporation. “During its first two years as a pilot program, nearly $7 million in Residential Energy Efficiency Program grants enabled 2,000 low-income homeowners, mainly in rural communities throughout the province, to make retrofits that realized an average household energy savings of 35 per cent and cash savings of nearly $800 a year.”
This program directly supports the goals of the Provincial Social Housing Plan, Secure Foundations, which was released in August 2009, and includes promoting renovation programs for lower-income homeowners to improve energy efficiency and conservation. It also addresses the long-term goals of the Poverty Reduction Strategy, which are to improve the housing circumstances of low-income households and help create healthier communities.
“As a government we must always consider how policies relate to and impact the individuals they are meant to assist. The Residential Energy Efficiency Program is an initiative that has had excellent results and has proven to be an important component of the affordable housing solution,” said Minister King.
REEP is available to homeowners of single, row and semi-detached homes with an annual household income level of $32,500 or less.
Approximately 1,000 applicants will be approved on a “first-come, first-served” basis. There will be no wait list kept from year-to-year. For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 fiscal years, applications must be submitted by April 1 each year. This will provide for a total of 3,000 applications to be approved over the next three years. Assistance will be available in the form of a grant of up to $3,000 per unit on the island portion of the province and up to $4,000 per unit in Labrador. Newfoundland Labrador Housing will provide funding for pre and post-energy inspections and audits by an independent energy advisor.
Applications can be downloaded from www.nlhc.nl.ca, or can be attained by calling: 709-724-3132 or 709-724-3211, or toll-free, 1-866-331-3436. Applications are also available at regional NL Housing offices.
-30-
Media contacts:
| Bradley Power Director of Communications Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment 709-729-0753, 699-5707 bradleypower@gov.nl.ca |
Jenny Bowring Manager, Communications Newfoundland Labrador Housing 709-724-3055 jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca |
2011 04 20 11:10 a.m.