Provincial No Charge Home Energy Efficiency Program rolls out in Lethbridge – a personal experience
LETHBRIDGE – The Ecofitt representative pulled up to my home five minutes early – at 8:55 am, for a scheduled 9:00 am walk-through and subsequent installation.
There was a LOT of initial confusion about when and if Program Coordinator “Dan” would be coming by that day at all.
After registering on the province’s website (http://www.efficiencyalberta.ca/) to see exactly how the new “No Charge Home Energy Efficiency Program” worked, I was contacted by representatives of the province’s new initiative in mid-April, about a time that would be convenient for the installations to occur.
One day before the scheduled appointment, I was again contacted by someone from the program, indicating that the installer would not be able to make the scheduled time, and would I be home between 5 pm and 9 pm the same night instead? I would not.
There were number of phone calls made back and forth to the 1-844-357-5604 Efficiency Alberta telephone number, several transfers, and apologies made for the inconvenience. But I was eventually told I would be contacted in about a week to book another appointment.
The same night, I received a call from Installer “Dan,” apologizing for the confusion, letting me know he indeed could come at the original time scheduled, and that the confusion was not my fault. Great!
The next morning as he made his way into my home, he introduced himself, and got to work. He noted every single outlet and light fixture, while also looking at the thermostat, faucets and applicances. He didn’t try to hard sell anything, but did explain the various programs the province was rolling out over the course of the year.
I told him I was a reporter, and that I would be writing an article for the local news. He mentioned that he was not an official spokesperson, although he was willing to share his experiences with me.
I peppered him with questions, including who exactly he worked for, what the demand was locally, who would be hired and how, the length of the program, whether there was a limit to the number of products he could install, and how any hirees would be vetted.
He told me he worked for Calgary’s Ecofitt office, the company would be hiring at least two other locals, that the company does criminal record checks and also trains everyone directly.
He also mentioned that more than 100,000 Albertans have signed up for this program in particular; more were registering daily.
In Lethbridge, he had nearly half a dozen appointments every day, and at the moment, he was the only one trained to perform the assessments and installations.
Dan said there was no limit to the number of approved items that a homeowner could receive.
He mentioned a home that had been recently gutted, and how he had installed upwards of 50 bulbs (at a cost of $6.95 to $20.95 each), power bars ($139.95 -$149.95 each), sink aerators ($2.95 to $7.95 each) and shower heads ($5.99-$29.95).
Thermostats, which are also part of the program, run anywhere from $49.95 to $399.95 each. All of the prices come directly from Ecofitt’s price list on their website. http://www.ecofitt.ca/products/
The potential cost of the installations for that home alone, was easily in the hundreds of dollars, if not closer $1,000.
The cost for MY home? I asked about that as well.
Dan installed eight 9 watt bulbs ($7.95 x 8 = $63.60), two 100 watt replacement bulbs (2 x $20.95= $41.90), one power bar ($139.95), and one sink aerator ($4.95), for a total of $250.40.
The Provincial Government says this program is part of a $45 million dollar energy efficiency initiative, that will also include rebates for solar panel installations and up to $3,500 for homeowners who use approved contractors to install energy efficient windows, tankless water heaters and approved insulation.
When the installation was complete, I was asked to rate the work Dan had completed, and to acknowlege that I had recieved the new products by signing official declarations. The entire process took about an hour.
Environment Minister Shannon Phillips has noted that Alberta was the only place in North America that did not have an energy efficiency strategy, and now they’re playing catch up with other jurisdictions.
From personal experience at least in B.C., there is a limit to the number and amount of “free” energy efficient products a homeowner is given, and all of the products are installed by the home -owner.
What remains to be seen is how much this Alberta program will end up costing, given the incredible demand displayed so far, the number of people that will be hired to perform the installations, how long the program will continue, and whether there will eventually be a limit to the number of products a homeowner can ask for.
