Initiative is only being offered in select northern and southern communities
St. Catharines has been chosen as one of the communities to test the Ontario Government's new hybrid heating system.
At a new conference this morning, Energy Minister Todd Smith announced the province is providing up to 4.5 million through the Clean Home Heating Initiative to bring hybrid heating to 1,000 households in St. Catharines, London, Peterborough and Sault Ste. Marie.
The Clean Home Heating Initiative will support the installation of electric heat pumps with smart controls by providing homeowners with incentives of up to $4,500.
Smith says switching to hybrid heating could save homeowners up to $80 dollars every year on energy bills with annual savings to increase over time.
He says it'll also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 per cent.
The initiative is only being offered in select northern and southern communities that represent a diverse geographic spread that will provide the opportunity to test the hybrid heating system in a range of climates.