I am a Registered Energy…

I am a Registered Energy Advisor with NRCan. I've been doing audits for almost ten years now- off and on. I first started with the Federal Eco-Energy program that was matched by the province of Ontario which offered incentives for homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. That program ended when the Federal government switched from resource conservation to resource development. Over the years I held numerous contracts in other pursuits as nobody seems to want an energy audit unless there's some benefit.

For the last three years I've been back to doing energy audits full time for a couple of service organizations with the Home Reno Rebate program offered by Union Gas and supplemented with grants from the IESO WHP and the Government of Ontario GIF programs. Now that these two supplements have ended, Union Gas has scaled back their HRR program to provide incentives to Union Gas customers only. In Grey and Bruce Counties where I work, this means my potential for new clients has been decimated as only a few communities have natural gas. Part of the report I give to homeowners shows their house's reduction on CO2 emissions if they retrofit their home.

So, by eliminating funding, the Union Gas HRR program has been scaled back. In rural communities like Grey-Bruce, this will mean people (HVAC, insulation, window companies) will lose jobs and many homeowners will continue to heat with oil, wood or electricity. Myself, I see me going on EI in November as I search for another line of work.