COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)

The Ontario government has announced a new program, the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) for eligible residential customers, aimed to help those impacted by COVID-19 and struggling to pay their energy bills as a result of the pandemic outbreak.

CEAP is a specific, time-limited program to provide a one-time, on-bill credit to electricity and natural gas consumers who have experienced hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning July 13^th, 2020; applications are being accepted on a first come first serve basis until the CEAP funds are depleted.

Eligibility

Residential electricity consumers are eligible for CEAP if they meet the all of the criteria below:

1.Consumer must have an account with an electricity distributor or a USMP. Only the account holder (the person whose name is on the bill) can submit an application for the CEAP credit.

2.Customer had no overdue electricity charges as of March 17, 2020, the date the Provincial Emergency was declared, and the account was not enrolled in an-OEB prescribed arrears payment agreement (APA) or any other payment plans for amounts owing for electricity charges prior to March 17, 2020.

3.As of the day of applying, the customer has overdue amounts owing for electricity charges from at least two electricity bills since March 17, 2020.

4.Customer has not received Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) or Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) grants in 2020.

5.The account holder (the person whose name is on the bill) or the account holder’s spouse or common-law partner (who must share the same address with the account holder):

• a. Is unemployed at the time of the CEAP application, and;
• b. Qualified for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or
• c. Received Employment Insurance (EI) after March 17, 2020`

Each eligible electricity customer would qualify for:

• CEAP credit towards half of the electricity charges that are overdue to a maximum of $115, OR
• CEAP credit towards half of the electricity charges that are overdue to a maximum of $230, for customer’s where their home is mainly electrically heated or someone in the customer’s home relies on one of the following at-home medical devices as already defined for OESP
  • Kidney Dialysis Machine
  • Mechanical Ventilators (invasive and non-invasive)
  • Oxygen Concentrator

If you are not eligible for CEAP, you may still be eligible for lower-income energy support programs. Please visit the Ontario Energy Board’s website for more information. You may also contact our InnPower Customer Service Team for more information on available financial assistance or to enter into an Arrears Payment Agreement.

Privacy and Consent – Detailed Under Section 1 of the Application Form

The funding for CEAP is provided by the Government of Ontario. Given that, in order to verify and determine whether you were eligible for CEAP and/or to otherwise administer CEAP, it may be necessary for InnPower to share your information with the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.

When you submit this completed form to InnPower, InnPower is collecting your personal information in accordance with applicable privacy legislation such as the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or the Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the licence granted to it by the Ontario Energy Board under the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998. Your personal information is being collected for the purpose of administering CEAP, including but not limited to, determining your eligibility for CEAP.

If the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines requests any of the personal information contained in the CEAP application form in order to verify your eligibility for CEAP or for audit purposes related to the administration of CEAP; InnPower will supply it to them. The Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines may contact you for further information as part of their audit. You are encouraged to retain any documentation that demonstrates you meet the eligibility for CEAP.

Submitting the CEAP Application Form

Applications are being accepted as of July 13^th, 2020. To apply for CEAP, please complete the attached application form.

When entering utility account information on the CEAP application, please enter your information exactly as it appears on your utility bill. If your information is not entered as it appears on your utility bill, your application may not be able to be processed until the information can be corrected and verified.

The CEAP application form must be completed in full with signatures for staff to approve eligibility for the one-time grant.

To submit the completed CEAP application form to InnPower…

• Email the completed form to InnPower’s Customer Service – cs@innpower.ca
• Mail the completed form to InnPower – 7251 Yonge Street, Innisfil, ON, L9S 0J3
• Leave in InnPower’s Dropbox, located at 7251 Yonge Street, Innisfil, ON, L9S 0J3
• If you are unable to submit the form via email or mail, please contact InnPower’s Customer Service by phone at (705) 431-4321. A Customer Service Representative will assist you in submitting the CEAP application over the phone. All calls are recorded in order to document confirmation of all information requested on the Application Form, including consent and the applicant’s attestation of eligibility.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service team by email at cs@innpower.ca or by phone at (705) 431-4321.