I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the government's decision to overrule the OEB's ruling from December 21 (making developers pay up front for methane gas infrastructure in new homes instead of distributing the cost across existing ratepayers). I oppose the government's decision—and support the OEB's ruling—for the following reasons:

1) We should be encouraging developers to install affordable and energy efficient heating systems instead of methane gas connections, which could become stranded assets as more homes turn to alternative heating sources like heat pumps.
2) The OEB's ruling could in fact reduce construction costs for new homes because we can reduce costs by connecting new homes to only one energy source: electricity.
3) Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and we are in a climate emergency. We should not be encouraging the expansion of methane gas infrastructure.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to the importance of investing in the technology of tomorrow, not of yesterday. As a new first-time homeowner, I own a methane gas furnace. This was not my choice; it's simply what the house had when I bought it six months ago. My husband and I are looking into upgrading our heating system—likely to a heat pump—so that we don't have to burn methane gas to heat our home in winter. While investing in green technology for our own home heating system—at significant cost to ourselves—why should we pay for dated infrastructure to be installed in new homes?