Updated: December 3, 2025

Whether you’ve got a home that loses heat in the winter or an apartment that you boil in every summer, you might wonder if you can afford to be more comfortable. We know that it could seem difficult to invest in energy efficiency on a fixed or limited income, but you might qualify for our income-qualified offers to help bring your energy bill down–and make your home more comfortable–for free. 

How to qualify and save

We’ve written about some of the ways you can change your daily routines to be more energy-conscious, and we know there’s many more tips out there to discover. But if you want to pursue energy efficiency beyond extra sweaters and shorter showers, FortisBC has  income-qualified programs that can help you reduce your energy use (and your energy bills).

Wonder if you qualify? The income qualifications for the programs are based on the low-income cut-offs issued by Statistics Canada, which are updated annually. If you checked before and didn’t qualify, it might be worth checking again.

Unbox free energy savings

Have you heard of our Energy Saving Kit (ESK)? This box might be small, but it’s jam-packed with easy ways to make your home more energy efficient, whether you’re a homeowner or a renter.

We offer the ESK to all our income-qualified customers completely free of cost. In collaboration with BC Hydro, we distributed close to 10,700 Energy Saving Kits in 2024. Every five years, or after moving to a new address or opening a new FortisBC account, income-qualified customers can apply for an ESK. Filling out the form to apply should take about five minutes. Once the application is accepted, the ESK should arrive in around three to six weeks.

What’s inside? Let’s find out.

The kit contains a wide range of energy-saving products, such as:

• an LED night light and four LED light bulbs
• a water-efficient showerhead
• kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators
• weatherstripping
• window film
• outlet and switch sealers
• a refrigerator/freezer thermometer
• a furnace filter coupon 

Most of these upgrades can be easily installed within a few minutes—and the ESK includes instructions for installing all of them. If you learn more by watching than reading, our YouTube channel has how-to videos for installing many of these upgrades including how to install water-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators, weatherstripping your windows, and changing your furnace filter.

The Energy Saving Kit is a great way to start making your home more energy efficient. But what else can you do?

Some assistance, please

Beyond the Energy Saving Kit, the Energy Conservation Assistance Program is here to help eligible customers make their homes more comfortable, safe and energy efficient.

First, complete and sign the Energy Conservation Assistance Program application form. You don’t need to be a homeowner, but if you rent your home you’ll need to complete the Landlord Consent Form. To participate, you must be income-qualified and either own or rent a home (a detached house, duplex, townhouse, or manufactured/mobile house).

Once all the paperwork is sent off and approved, you’ll be contacted to schedule a free visit from one of the program’s energy coaches. These energy coaches are trained to recognize ways to make homes more energy efficient and come equipped with free energy-saving products for you to install at your convenience.

They will also assess how the property might save even more energy through larger upgrades based on your home’s unique characteristics, such as insulation, airtightness and the heating system. If multiple visits are required to make your home more energy efficient, they’ll work together with you to schedule those visits for when it works best for you. Your home might qualify for insulation upgrades, draftproofing upgrades, electric heat pumps¹ and more so your whole home can work in harmony.

Since BC Hydro and FortisBC first teamed up to deliver this program to income-qualified clients in 2012, energy coaches have completed more than 26,540 energy evaluations. Learn more here about applying, and what the Energy Conservation Assistance Program can do for you.

Rebates await

The cost of home upgrades may seem daunting. But if it’s time for an upgrade to increase your comfort and energy efficiency or simply replace aging equipment, our rebates can help, and we’re here to assist you through the application process. Terms and conditions apply.

Qualified solutions

We know that no one knows your home better than you. No matter which eligible upgrade you want to prioritize, we appreciate that it’s a deeply personal choice; home is where the heart is, after all.

Whether you’re looking to make small changes for a real impact or upgrade as much of your home as possible, we’re here to support our customers in improving energy efficiency in their homes, helping to reduce energy use and energy bills. With the Energy Saving Kit, the Energy Conservation Assistance Program and our rebates, we’re here to help you pursue your goals.

¹Only BC Hydro electrically heated homes and FortisBC electrically heated manufactured homes are eligible for electrical heat pump upgrades.