Updated Criteria for CEAP and CEAP-SB
On June 1, 2020, the Government of Ontario confirmed that it has made $9 million available for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) to support residential customers and $8 million available for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program- Small Business (CEAP-SB) to support small business and registered charity customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
CEAP provides a one-time, on-bill credit to eligible residential electricity and natural gas customers to help them catch up on their energy bills and resume regular payments. Residential customers may be eligible for up to $750 in support towards their electricity and natural gas bills, and can apply for on-bill credits for both electricity and natural gas separately.
CEAP-SB provides a one-time, on-bill credit to eligible small business and registered charity customers to help them catch up on their energy bills and resume regular payments. Small business and registered charity customers may be eligible for up to $1,500 in support towards their electricity and natural gas bills, and can apply for on-bill credits for both electricity and natural gas separately.
You must apply for CEAP and CEAP-SB through your utility or USMP.
For eligibility requirements, visit CEAP and CEAP-SB.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this about?
The Government of Ontario has updated the eligibility requirements and increased the on-bill credits for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) for residential customers and the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business (CEAP-SB) for small business and registered charity customers struggling to pay their energy bills as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
Why have these changes been made?
The eligibility criteria have been updated so that more customers may qualify.
What are the changes to eligibility for residential customers?
Residential electricity and gas customers are now eligible for CEAP if they meet the following criteria:
- The customer has an account with an electricity distributor, a unit sub-meter provider (USMP) or a natural gas distributor. Only the customer who is the account holder can submit an application for CEAP.
- The customer has overdue amounts owing from one or more electricity or gas bills since March 17, 2020.
Customers who previously applied but were denied will have their original applications reviewed by utilities and will be contacted directly if they meet the new eligibility criteria.
What are the changes to eligibility for small business and registered charity customers?
Small business and registered charity electricity or natural gas customers are now eligible for CEAP-SB if they meet the following criteria:
- The customer has an active account with an electricity distributor, a USMP or a natural gas distributor.
- The customer’s account falls within the following class:
- For customers of an electricity distributor, the General Service less than 50 kW rate class
- For customers of a USMP, the relevant commercial class that uses less than 150,000 kWh of electricity annually
- For customers of a natural gas distributor, is a non-residential customer that uses less than 50,000 cubic meters of gas annually
(Customers can find information about their class on their bill, or they can contact their utility or USMP.)
- The customer has a registered business number or charitable registration number for the small business or registered charity operating out of the premises.
- The customer has overdue amounts owing from one or more electricity or gas bills since March 17, 2020.
What if a small business or registered charity has multiple locations?
A small business or registered charitable organization that has multiple locations can receive a CEAP-SB credit for each location towards their electricity or natural gas bills.
What are the changes to the on-bill credits for residential energy customers?
Under CEAP, residential customers may be eligible for a one-time*, on-bill credit for electricity and/or natural gas charges that are overdue on the date of their application for CEAP, up to a maximum of $750 on both their natural gas and electricity bills.
Under CEAP-SB, small business and registered charity customers may be may be eligible for a one-time*, on-bill credit for electricity and natural gas charges that are overdue on the date of their application for CEAP-SB, up to a maximum $1,500 on both their natural gas and electricity bills.
Customers can only receive an on-bill credit once for electricity and once for natural gas.*
* Customers who applied for and received CEAP and/or CEAP-SB support in 2020 may apply again to be considered for the increased funding amount.
How do customers apply for CEAP and/or CEAP-SB?
CEAP is being delivered by electricity distributors, gas distributors and USMPs. Customers must apply for CEAP through their utility or USMP and should contact their utility and/or USMP directly as each may have a unique approach for application in-take.
Do customers who have applied previously and whose application was not approved have to reapply again under the new requirements?
No. Customers who previously applied but were denied will have their original applications reviewed by utilities and will be contacted directly by February 15, 2021, if they are determined to meet the new eligibility criteria.
What about customers who have previously received CEAP and/or CEAP-SB but at the lower on-bill credits? Can they apply for additional support?
Customers who previously applied for and received an on-bill credit will be notified by their utilities that the funding limits have been increased. Those customers may apply again to be considered for the increased funding amount. If approved, the additional credit would be applied against any current overdue amount.
No residential customer can receive total CEAP funding that exceeds the new funding limit of $750 or that exceeds the amount of any arrears.
No small business or registered charity customer can receive CEAP-SB funding that exceeds the new funding limit of $1,500 or that exceeds the amount of any arrears.
Funding is limited, and utilities and USMPs are expected to process applications in the order in which they are received. Submitting an application does not guarantee funding.
Why don’t the bill credits cover the full amount of a customer’s arrears?
The on-bill credit covers the charges that are past due, up to a pre-set maximum amount of $750 for residential customers and a pre-set maximum of $1,500 for small business and registered charity customers. Setting the level of support in this way will assist in achieving the government’s objective of making support available to help the most people affected financially by the COVID-19 emergency.
Is there a deadline to apply?
Not at the moment. Funding for the program is limited, however. Utilities and USMPs are expected to process applications in the order in which they are received. CEAP funding is not guaranteed even after a complete application has been submitted.
The government has provided $9 million for CEAP to support residential energy customers and $8 million for CEAP-SB to support small business and registered charity customers. Each utility and USMP has been allocated a share of that amount, based on how many residential, small business and registered charity customers they have. Utilities and USMPs will stop accepting applications and providing credits once their allocated share of funding has run out.
When will customers see a credit on their bills?
If the utility or USMP has CEAP and/or CEAP-SB funds remaining, the credit will be applied to the next available bill issued after the application has been assessed as complete by the customer’s utility or USMP.
