Help for Low-Income Energy Consumers

Consumers with limited resources face specific challenges. To get a better understanding of issues affecting low-income energy consumers, and to assess the need for and nature of, measures to address the challenges facing these consumers, the Board initiated a consultation with interested stakeholders.

Through the consultation, we identified three components of a Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, or LEAP, to assist low-income energy consumers:

Emergency financial assistance for low-income energy consumers in need
More flexible customer service rules
Targeted conservation programs

Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)

OVERVIEW

What is LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance?

LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance is a comprehensive, year-round emergency financial assistance program developed by the Ontario Energy Board to assist low-income energy customers better manage their bill payments and energy costs. The program was based on the “Winter Warmth” program and is intended to supplement existing government initiatives, such as the Emergency Energy Fund. Emergency financial assistance is funded through the distribution rates of distributors.

The delivery of LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance relies heavily on cooperation between utilities and social service agencies. It is expected that as agencies screen and assess applicants in need, that they may refer customers not only for Emergency Financial Assistance, but also for customer service measures and/or conservation programs. In some communities, the program may be delivered by one social service agency, while in others, it may be a network of social service agencies.

LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance, which is funded through the distribution rates of distributors, is a grant program intended to provide emergency relief to eligible low-income customers who may be experiencing difficulty paying current arrears. It is not intended to provide regular or ongoing bill payment assistance

Who offers LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance?

All electricity and natural gas utilities regulated by the Ontario Energy Board are required to make funds available for their eligible low-income customers for LEAP. Funds provided by each distributor must be used only for that distributor’s customers, or customers of unit sub-metering providers operating in the service area of the distributor.

Natural Gas
For 2012, Union Gas Ltd. will continue to deliver the Winter Warmth program year round instead of LEAP EFA. Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. will continue to offer the Winter Warmth program for the 2012 heating season and will use LEAP EFA funding to offer emergency financial assistance for the remainder of the year. Find out more about the Winter Warmth programs from Enbridge Gas or Union Gas.

Cornwall Street Railway Light and Power Company Limited, Utilities Kingston and Kitchener Utilities are not required to offer LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance because they are not rate-regulated as gas distributors by the Board. However, Cornwall Street Railway Light and Power Company Limited, Utilities Kingston and Kitchener Utilities have all confirmed to the Board that they will deliver LEAP EFA.

Electricity
LEAP is also available to eligible low-income customers of unit sub-metering providers. The funds for these customers come from the electricity utility that serves the area where the applicant lives.

APPLYING FOR LEAP

LEAP is designed to benefit qualifying low-income households that are customers of a utility or unit sub-metering provider.

How do I apply?

The first step is to contact your utility or unit sub-metering provider. That information can be found on your bill. Contact information is also located on our website's Your Electricity Utility page and list of licensed sub-metering providers. You will be referred to the social service agency serving the area in which you reside. The social service agency, and not your service provider, is responsible for assessing whether you are eligible for LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance. A list of the social agencies working with each utility is also available on our website.

In order to determine whether you are eligible, the social service agency will ask you questions such as:

Are you a customer of a natural gas or electricity utility or unit sub-metering provider?

Do you reside at the address with arrears?

What is your yearly/monthly gross (pre-tax) household income?

What are your sources of household income? and,

How many people are in your household?

If the agency determines you may be eligible for assistance, the agency may require you to come to their office for an interview. Agencies must obtain your consent to release personal information required for the application. Initially, consent may be verbal, but written consent must be obtained when you come to the agency for an in-person interview. You will be asked to sign the Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information form. No information can be shared with your service provider or agencies without your signed consent.

In-person interviews are required in most cases to confirm and verify personal information. If you have issues related to mobility, transportation issues, or geographic distance between your residence and the agency office, telephone interviews are permitted at the discretion of the agency. This may be allowed in cases where:

The community served is a large geographical area, where travel required to an in-person interview would cause you hardship (assessed at the discretion of the social service agency);

You are experiencing mobility or travel difficulties due to age, disability, illness or injury.

In these cases, the agency may conduct telephone interviews to discuss the situation and review documentation. You will still need to provide all required documentation and signatures, which may delay your application.

What documentation will I need to provide?

As part of the application process you will be required to provide the following documentation:

Current energy bills for your residence

A Disconnection Notice from your service provider, if you have received one

Identification – two pieces of identification for the main applicant, and 1 piece of identification for each of the other household members

A copy of a rental receipt, lease or mortgage documents

Proof of household income - cheque stub, employment letter, and/or income tax return for all adult occupants within the household, and

A copy of your most recent monthly bank statement

Am I eligible?

Whether you are eligible for LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance will be determined by a social service agency, and not your utility or unit sub-metering provider, following a review and assessment of the required documentation.

To be eligible for a LEAP grant, you must meet all of the following criteria:

(i) Be an existing customer of the utility providing the funding, or an existing customer of a unit sub-metering provider operating within the service area of the utility;
(ii) Reside at the address for which there are arrears; and
(iii) Have a pre-tax household income at or below the Statistics Canada Low-Income Cut-Off + 15%

In addition to the criteria above, social agencies will also consider the following:

(i) Whether receiving financial assistance will allow you to maintain or reconnect energy service, and thereby promote the sustainability of the customer’s connection.
(ii) Whether you have demonstrated a prior attempt to pay the bill. The social agency may contact your service provider to get information about your payment history if necessary. Agencies are expected to consider future sustainability of an applicant’s connection in addition to past payment performance.
(iii) Whether you are in threat of disconnection or have been disconnected. Agencies are expected focus on providing emergency assistance, but need to balance this with early intervention.
(iv) Whether you have already received assistance. Funding should be accessed only once per year per fuel, up to the financial cap.

How much can I apply for?

The maximum grant level is $500 per fuel per household per year. At the discretion of the agency, you may be eligible for a grant of up to $600 if you live in an electrically heated home.

If you owe less than the maximum, the grant cannot exceed the amount owed.

If you owe more than the maximum, a maximum grant of $500 (or $600 for an approved electrically heated home) may be provided, as long as you will be able to sustain your energy service following the grant.

Options if you owe more than the maximum to sustain their energy service include:

Entering into a payment arrangement with your service provider for the balance owing, and/or

Supplementary assistance through other funds for the balance (See Other Sources of Funding section below). The social agency may be able to assist you in accessing these other funds.

If these options are not available you may be denied assistance on the basis that you can’t sustain your energy service. You should be referred to other programs for assistance. Grants should not include amounts owed for equipment rental (e.g. water heater) or equipment financing charges.

What happens after I complete the application process?

Once your application has been completed and signed, and the information verified (including service provider verification), the agency will decide whether you are approved to receive a grant.

One of the key factors that will be considered when determining a funding recommendation is whether or not the disconnection will be halted and whether you will still be able to pay your energy bills in the future. LEAP is not intended to provide long-term financial assistance. You must be able to maintain your energy costs after you have received the grant.

How am I notified if I am approved/denied?

If your application is approved, your service provider will be contacted and asked to stop any further disconnection or collection action on your account. Grants are issued on behalf of applicants directly to the service provider.

Similarly, if your application is denied, your service provider will be contacted and informed of the decision.

If my application is denied, can I appeal?

Social agencies are required to have an appeals process for applicants who are not satisified with the decision on their application for LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance. If your application is denied, the agency will inform you about the appeals process and how to access it.

Referrals to Other Programs & Services

In addition to, or instead of, LEAP Emergency Financial Assistance, you may also benefit from other assistance programs or services such as conservation programs and/or customer service measures, or other programs administered by the social agency.

Other Sources of Funding

You may be able to access other sources of funding for assistance with energy arrears. These funds may be particularly helpful if you do not qualify for LEAP, or if the maximum grant is not sufficient to cover your arrears. You should speak to the social agency about how to access these other funds.

Emergency Energy Fund
The Emergency Energy Fund is a provincial government program that provides funding for utility arrears, security deposits and reconnection costs for consumers of electricity, natural gas, oil and other forms of energy. The fund is administered by municipalities, some of which sub-contract delivery to social service agencies. The maximum grant per household is the amount required by the service provider to maintain or reconnect service. Funds are available year round, or at least as long as the annual allocation lasts.

Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program
If you are eligible for Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program you may be able to obtain assistance with energy arrears through the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB).

Discretionary Benefits under OW and ODSP: If you receive Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, you may be eligible for discretionary benefits for, among other costs, funds for utility and/or heating arrears. The fund is municipally administered.

Toronto’s Shelter Fund
If you live in Toronto and are eligible for Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program and have at least one dependent under the age of 18, you may be able to access help with energy arrears through the Shelter Fund if you have exhausted their eligibility for the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit.

Customer Service Rules

Currently, the OEB has rules for electricity utilities and unit sub-metering providers with respect to certain customer service policies. The rules for electricity utilities are currently more comprehensive than those for unit sub-metering providers. While the rules apply to all residential customers, some rules may provide specific benefit to low-income energy customers.

We are currently developing new rules in a number of areas, including:

Rules for electricity utilities tailored specifically to low-income customers.
Rules for natural gas utilities, similar to those in place for electricity utilities, including rules tailored specifically to low-income customers.
Rules for unit sub-metering providers, similar to those in place for electricity utilities, including rules tailored specifically to low-income customers.

Click here for more information on Customer Service Rules for Electricity Utilities. Further information about rules for natural gas utilities and unit sub-metering providers will be posted here when it becomes available.

Energy Conservation Programs

Low-income consumers often live in homes that need energy efficiency upgrades. Energy conservation programs can be effective tools to assist low-income energy consumers manage their overall energy usage and therefore better manage energy costs.

Some electricity utilities and natural gas utilities offer conservation programs. These may include programs that educate customers on how to lower their energy bills through conservation strategies, and programs that offer energy savings kits and/or installing equipment that can improve energy efficiency, which can result in on-going savings for households. These programs may be offered free of charge.

Please contact your utility for more information.

Natural Gas Conservation Programs

Conservation programs are available for customers of some natural gas utilities. Both Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas are developing more conservation programs for both qualifying low-income customers and non low-income residential customers.

For more information about the programs please contact Enbridge Gas Distribution or Union Gas directly.

Electricity Conservation Programs

The saveONenergy conservation programs for home and business are designed to make it easier to manage your electricity use.

The saveONenergy programs are offered through your local electric utility and funded through the Ontario Power Authority.

For more information about this program please visit the saveONenergy website.

More Information

We expect eligible low-income customers of electricity and natural gas distributors will be able to access emergency financial assistance beginning in January 2011. This page will be updated as more details and information becomes available. Please check back regularly.

For more information on how the program was developed, visit the OEB's Industry website:

Page last updated 2012-03-28