The Saskatchewan government moved Nov. 2 to protect residents from escalating natural gas costs, limiting an energy rate increase to 10 percent for at least the next five months.
Premier Lorne Calvert said the government decided not to grant the 41 percent hike SaskEnergy had asked for because of the financial burden it would cause.
“Under our program, the average residential customer will save about $255 over the next five months, while the average farm customer will save about $327 and the average commercial customer will save about $971,” he said.
The government will pay the extra energy costs of about $130 million from its higher-than-anticipated oil and natural gas royalties.
Rebate offered
Residents who use fuel oil or propane to heat their homes can apply for a one-time cash rebate of $200 per household. Those cheques will go out in January.
Last week the province also introduced six programs to encourage energy conservation.
They include provincial sales tax exemptions on new thermostats, furnaces and boilers that meet energy efficiency qualifications.
The cost estimate for the conservation measures is $37.3 million.
