Your Energy Rebate - Condominium Corporations

If you are a condominium corporation, then you may qualify for Your Energy Rebate.

Your Energy Rebate is a provincial program designed to help Nova Scotians with home energy costs. Your Energy Rebate does not cover business energy costs. 

Program changes announced in the April 29, 2008 Budget

Commercial Electricity Customer
If you are charged commercial service rates for your electricity you will continue to be able to claim a rebate on your full power bill issued until the end of August, 2008. The new thresholds will apply to commercial service rates billed on or after September 1, 2008. The threshold of 27.4 KWh per day will apply to each residential unit and the common area to the residential units as a separate unit. The example below illustrates how this is to be applied when applying for your rebate for power bills issued on or after September 1, 2008.

The demand charge will no longer be eligible for billings issued on or after September 1, 2008.

Sample Commercial Electricity Rebate Calculation

Billing Date: September 5, 2008
(Floor space - 80% Residential)
(400 residential units)
Service July 31 to August 31, 2008

Residential Electricity Customer

The electricity portion of the Your Energy Rebate Program is being refocused on electricity used for heating. As a result, effective September 1, 2008 only electricity used on or after September 1, 2008 that exceeds a threshold of 27.4 kilowatt hours per day times the number of days on the bill on or after September 1, 2008 will be eligible for the rebate. If you are billed at domestic service rates, you will receive your rebate from the electrical supplier at the time of billing.

The base charge will no longer be eligible as of May 15, 2008. The current rebate on domestic service rates for residential customers will be temporarily suspended as of May 15, 2008. Any rebate credits earned prior to May 15, 2008 will be credited by your electrical utility. For more details about the rebate on domestic service rates for electricity, go to the "What's New" page.

How do I know if I qualify?

1. You are eligible to apply as a condominium corporation for Your Energy Rebate, if:

·Your property is 100% residential and is classified as 100% "residential taxable" based on the current property assessment issued under the Assessment Act;

·You pay the home energy costs for condominium owners and/or residential common areas such as stairwells, hallways, laundry room, storage and parking; and

·You are a condominium corporation as defined in Section 3 of the Condominium Act.

·With your property classified as 100 % "residential taxable" you may receive Your Energy Rebate for home heating oil deliveries on or after December 1, 2006. For natural gas, bills dated on or after January 1, 2007, the rebate may be automatically deducted from your bill. For Electricity, the effective date of Your Energy Rebate is also January 1, 2007. However, if you are not charged the domestic service rate by your electrical utility, the rebate will not be deducted from your bill and an application will be required with receipts. Other forms of home energy, such as cylinder propane, firewood or wood pellets, require an application form to be completed, with accompanying receipts.

·For home deliveries of firewood, effective on or after June 21, 2007 registered Bulk Vendors are able to automatically deduct the rebate from your bill. Firewood purchased from vendors who are not registered to provide an at source rebate, will require an application form to be completed, with accompanying receipts.

2 . If your property is a combination of residential and commercial; and

·You are a condominium corporation as defined in Section 3 of the Condominium Act;

·You pay the home energy costs for condominium owners and/or residential common areas such as stairwells, hallways, laundry room, storage and parking.

Starting December 1, 2006, the Government reduced the cost that you pay for your home energy costs on the residential portion of the property. This was done by rebating 8 per cent of the HST on eligible home energy costs, such as heating oil, firewood, wood pellets, kerosene or propane - that's the provincial portion of this tax.

Your rebate will not be automatically deducted from your home heating oil, firewood or natural gas bills.  These and other forms of home energy, such as propane, or wood pellets, require an application form for to be completed, with accompanying receipts.

For electricity, the effective date of Your Energy Rebate is January 1, 2007. However, if you are not charged the domestic service rate by your electrical utility, the rebate will not be deducted from your bill and an application will be required with receipts.

Notice : Change in the Eligibility Status of Condominium Complexes

Bulk vendors of home energy such as home heating oil, natural gas, home delivered propane and home delivered firewood are advised that the eligibility status of several condominium complexes has been changed. The Eligibility Tool has been updated.

Bulk vendors are advised to verify the eligibility of any condominium complex before they make their delivery.

Please note, any point of sale energy rebates provided to ineligible condominium customers after February 25, 2007 will not be reimbursed to Bulk vendors.

How can I get an application form for my rebate?

There are several ways to get an application form:

· Visit any Access Nova Scotia centre

· E-mail yourenergyrebate@gov.ns.ca

· Call 424-5200 (Metro Halifax)

· Call 1-800-670-4357 (toll-free province-wide)

· Download the Application

How do I apply?

· Complete the application form in full

· Include all receipts for the home energy purchases

· Please ensure that your receipts indicate the following:

· Supplier's HST number
· Amount of HST paid
· Date of the purchase
· Nature of the product (e.g. wood, wood pellets).

How often can I apply?

You may submit one application each quarter (April, July, October, January).