Islanders will begin receiving rebates on the cost of household electricity under terms of a new agreement between the province of Prince Edward Island and Maritime Electric.
A 10 per cent rebate will be applicable on the first block – 2,000 kilowatts-hours – of all residential customers served by Maritime Electric. The rebate, announced in the 2018-19 provincial budget, comes into force July 16 and will be renewable under the agreement for up to four years.
“New rebates on the use of electrical power will provide considerable savings to ordinary Islanders while encouraging people to increase their use of electricity as a greener source of power and heating,” said Communities, Land and Environment Minister Richard Brown.
“Prince Edward Island is a leader in the development of wind power as a source of electricity. It is good for our environment and economy to make better use of electricity as a clean, renewable power source.”
Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Paula Biggar said the rebates will make it more affordable for Island households to use low-carbon sources of energy.
“Our province is committed to reducing energy use, and to reducing the impact of the energy we do use. These rebates help to move us in the right direction,” she said.
Maritime Electric welcomed the agreement and is ready to begin implementing the rebate.
"Maritime Electric is pleased to be working with government of P.E.I. to deliver this rebate to our customers. Our customers will be pleased to have a rebate on their electricity bills," said Chief Executive Officer of Maritime Electric John Gaudet.
The rebate matches other rebates which are currently being developed with the Summerside electrical power utility, and rebates which will be soon applied on low carbon fuel sources including propane, fuel wood and wood pellets.
The electricity rebate is being implemented in conjunction with other Climate Change initiatives.
