Critics say expanded B.C. heat pump rebate program not enough

The province has announced it is accepting applications for its newly expanded rebate program for households switching to electric heat pumps.

"We saw the devastating impacts of the heat wave a couple of years ago, and we want to avoid that," B.C. Energy Minister JosieOsborne told a news conference on Wednesday.

But critics saywhile the programhelps some people access indoor cooling, it isn't comprehensive enough to meet the needs of all the British Columbianswho need it.

Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and policy analyst, is calling on the government to massivelyscale up its efforts to help British Columbians access cooling systems.

"Cooling is absolutely essential for our health and well-being," she said. "We should not be turning an entire season of the year into suffering that we simply allow people to be put through."

The update to the province's heat pump program will see more middle-income households eligible for rebates.

The government hadbeen offering rebates for families of four making acombined salary of up to$114,647 a year. Now, it has expanded the salary range to $185,620 for that same family, offeringa rebate of up to $10,500.

Homeowners can also apply for up to $5,000 to help them upgrade their electrical service to support heat pumps up from $3,500.

Households that switch space heating from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps can see energy savings of up to 80 per cent, according to the provincewhich says the average cost of installing a heat pump is between $8,000 and $19,000.

The expanded heat pump rebates are part of the province's plan to prepare for summer heat. Last year, the B.C. government also launched a program offering free air conditioners to low-income B.C. residents.

Unlike air conditioners, heat pumps can both cool and heat.

In an email to CBC News, B.C. Hydro spokesperson Kevin Aquino said since that program began, the utility has installed about 11,000 free air conditioning units.

In May, the B.C. government announced $20 million more for the free air conditioning program. Aquino estimates that will provide 19,000 more households access to a free unit.

WATCH | The dangers of extreme heat:

How extreme heat can threaten health and safety

2 months ago

Duration 1:55

As the summer season kicks off, health experts are once again reminding people about the effects of hot weather, especially for those working in the sun. As CBCs Sohrab Sandhu reports, one doctor says any signs of heat exhaustion should be taken seriously.

Renters need their landlords' approval before applying for the current rebate programs, which Peters said can be a barrier for tenants looking to escape the heat.

At the news conference on Wednesday, Osborne said B.C. Hydro and the province are working toward an offer for individual tenants in rental buildings. She did not address specifics.

Heat in the forecast

Ken Dosanjh, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said July is expected to see above-normal heat, especially in parts of the Interior.

This weekend, a heat wave is expected to sweep across most of the province, sending temperatures into the high 30s in the southern Interior.

According to Environment Canada, human activities and greenhouse gas emissions are changing the climate, driving up temperatures and causing periods of extreme heat to occur more frequently.

"As climate change progresses, we're going to see more and more extreme heat events," Dr. Melissa Lem, a Vancouver family physician and president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said. "To protect people's health and prevent mortality, we need to make sure people have indoor cooling."

"When you're talking on the order of tensof thousands of homes getting access [to cooling] through this program, we obviously need to scale it a lot more so we can hit those hundreds of thousands of households that require access to cooling," she said.

About one in three people in B.C.about 1.8 million people have access to air conditioning, according to Statistics Canada.