Energy auditors applaud $400 million ecoENERGY extension

Vancouver – Supporters of the Save ecoENERGY Coalition applaud the Harper government’s $400 million extension of the ecoENERGY Home Retrofit program, but say the one-year timeline is not enough to help the energy savings industry transition to self-sustainability.

“Home retrofit programs are great for the economy because they help families, businesses and trades people across the country,” says Jeff Murdock, vice-president of Building Insight Technologies, a Save ecoENERGY Coalition supporter. “But the on-again, off-again nature of these programs creates unpredictable conditions that make it difficult for businesses to develop a long-term approach.”

The Save ecoENERGY Coalition, a national group of energy saving organizations, has developed a three-step plan to help the energy savings industry achieve long-term self-sustainability.

The Coalition’s plan calls for a four-year commitment to ecoENERGY, which, coupled with a new national EnerGuide rating system and home energy rating at time-of-sale, would allow the necessary time and stability for the industry to achieve self-sustainability.

“It should be easy for governments to make a four-year commitment to this program. The numbers show that ecoENERGY creates jobs, reduces the deficit, and helps the environment, all at the same time,” says Murdock. “With ecoENERGY, families spend $10 for every $1 they receive in government incentives. This generates $2 in tax revenue for every $1 paid in homeowner grants.”

A longer-term commitment to ecoENERGY would assure both economic and environmental sustainability for Canada and the energy savings industry. “We are optimistic that the Harper government will see the benefits of extending ecoENERGY for a full four years,” says Murdock.