Province Working to Reduce Heating Costs
Some Nova Scotians who heat their homes with oil will now have access to a cheap and easy way to convert to natural gas.
The province and Heritage Gas have identified a safe and cost-effective way to convert an oil furnace to burn natural gas.
Metro Burner Services, a local company that specializes in heating, can do the conversion in a way that meets national standards.
"We are committed to making life better and more affordable for families," said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Marilyn More. "We know that heating costs are one of the biggest expenses for families. By working with our partners in natural gas, we are providing Nova Scotians with a safe option to convert to this cost-effective heating source, helping them to reduce their monthly costs.
"For those Nova Scotians in areas that have availability, who have done their homework and have decided to convert, we've simply removed some of the barriers."
In the past, Nova Scotians who wanted to convert from oil to natural gas would have to replace their whole heating system, costing around $12,000 to $15,000. Now, only the burner has to be replaced, providing the appliance meets certain conditions, costing around $3,000 to $4,000, according to Heritage Gas.
"My husband and I are in the process of purchasing a home in a neighbourhood that has natural gas availability, but before today, we thought it was going to be too expensive to convert," said Emily Moir, a homeowner in Bedford. "There is no sense having access to a cheap heating source if the tools needed to provide it are too expensive. It is great to see that government and the right people are working together to make natural gas more accessible to existing and new homeowners, like us."
Jim Bracken, president of Heritage Gas, said conversion costs are about a third of what they were a year ago.
"We are very excited about helping homes and businesses reduce their energy costs with a more affordable solution. Be it a homeowner or a small business, we want our customers to enjoy the cost savings, the reliability and the environmental benefits of using clean energy like natural gas," said Mr. Bracken. "The burner conversion makes this possible for more Nova Scotians. This was an important step that will significantly increase the number of people who choose to convert."
Heritage Gas will be attending this weekend's Real Home Show at the Halifax Forum Complex where they will be providing information to homeowners about the new option that has dramatically reduced the costs to convert from oil to natural gas.
The province also offers the Natural Gas Equipment Rebate Program to help residents and businesses in Nova Scotia convert to natural gas using the most efficient equipment available. The program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing fuel use and by using lower carbon intensity fuel. The program also helps reduce dependence on costly imported energy products. The program is administered by Heritage Gas.
Natural Gas is currently available in Halifax, Dartmouth and Amherst.