Energy bill support for small businesses and charities impacted by COVID-19
TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - Beginning Monday, August 31, 2020, small businesses and registered charities can apply for financial support under the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business (CEAP-SB) if they are eligible for the program. CEAP-SB provides a one time, on-bill credit to help eligible small businesses and registered charities affected by COVID-19 catch up on their energy bills.
With $8 million in funding from the Ontario government, CEAP-SB is being delivered directly by electricity and natural gas distributors as well as unit sub-meter providers (USMPs), further to rules laid out by the Ontario Energy Board.
The CEAP-SB on-bill credit amount for electricity customers covers the electricity charges overdue on the date of application, to a maximum of $425. The same level of assistance applies to natural gas customers in relation to overdue natural gas charges. A higher level of assistance is available for electricity customers whose premise is mainly electrically heated.
The pre-set maximum amount of support for eligible customers will assist in achieving the objective of making CEAP-SB available to help the most small businesses and registered charities affected financially by COVID-19. For the same reason, CEAP-SB funding will be available only once per customer for each of electricity and natural gas, and only once per location for customers that have multiple locations.
Customers can apply for CEAP-SB through their distributor or USMP. The application form will be available on their websites or on request, and each may have a unique approach for application in-take.
CEAP-SB funding is limited, and submitting an application for CEAP-SB does not guarantee funding. Distributors and USMPs are expected to process applications in the order in which they are received, and they will stop delivering CEAP-SB once their allocated share of CEAP-SB funding runs out.
More information about the program, including eligibility requirements, is available at oeb.ca/ceap.
About the Ontario Energy Board
The OEB is the independent regulator of Ontario's electricity and natural gas sectors. It protects consumers and makes decisions that serve the public interest. Its goal is to promote a sustainable and efficient energy sector that provides consumers with reliable energy services at a reasonable cost.
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SOURCE Ontario Energy Board
For more information, please visit the OEB website at oeb.ca or contact us directly; Media Inquiries: Office: 416-544-5171, Email: [email protected]
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