MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — On Jan. 15, 2003, Warren Heeley, president of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), sent a letter to Ontario Minister of Energy John Baird requesting provincial consideration of extending a recently announced provincial sales tax rebate on Energy Star-rated appliances to heating and air conditioning products.

In the letter, HRAI pointed out that the association has worked for 25 years with federal and provincial governments on programs to improve the energy efficiency of HVAC products and systems. HRAI says that as a result, the energy efficiency of HVAC products improved dramatically and the reduced energy consumption of these products has had a significant effect on the reduction of Canadian energy demand and emissions of greenhouse gases.

The letter also points out that appliances represent about 14 percent of a household’s annual energy consumption while heating and air conditioning systems can represent as much as 60 percent of that consumption. HRAI believes that improvements in the average energy efficiency of HVAC products in Ontario homes would substantially decrease both energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in this sector.

The letter concluded by strongly recommending that the provincial tax rebate program for Energy Star-rated products be extended to residential heating and air conditioning equipment including air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps.

For more information, go to www.hrai.ca.

Publication date: 01/27/2003