FREDERICTON – Green Party Leader and MLA for Fredericton Lincoln David Coon says that Finance Minister René Legacy’s upcoming budget must include measures to make electricity costs more affordable.
A recent report by the Human Development Council found that a quarter of New Brunswick households that rely only on electricity for heating are in energy poverty, defined as spending more than 6% of their income on energy. This is the second highest rate of any province in Canada.
“As the Holt government tables its budget this week, NB Power is at the EUB asking for a 17.75 percent rate increase over the next three years,” said Coon. “This shows the urgent need for well-financed government programs that will reduce energy consumption and lower bills for those most in need.”
Coon is calling on the government to include five measures in the budget to make electricity more affordable.
- Increase the budget for the Enhanced Energy Efficiency Program, which provides free heat pumps and insulation to households earning under $70,000. At current spending levels, it would take until 2053 for every eligible household to access this program.
- Take over the oil to heat pump program abandoned by the federal government to support rural New Brunswickers.
- Launch an energy efficiency financing program for rental properties with eight or fewer units.
- Launch a solar financing program to enable New Brunswickers to pay the upfront costs of installing solar panels on their balconies and rooftops to reduce their monthly power bills.
- Create a low-income Electricity Support Program, modelled after a similar program in Ontario, to offset NB Power’s rate increases for those in need.
“These five measures are affordability investments that will reduce electricity costs for New Brunswickers struggling to pay their bills by lowering their power consumption, which also will benefit our environment at the same time,” added Coon.
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