FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
[La version française suit le texte anglais.]
FAO RELEASES 2019 UPDATE ON HOME ENERGY SPENDING IN ONTARIO
TORONTO, March 2, 2020 - The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) has released its 2019 Update on Home Energy Spending in Ontario.
Home energy spending represents what Ontarians pay to heat and cool their homes and power their appliances. In 2019, the average Ontario household spent $2,165 on home energy. The majority of home energy spending is for electricity, followed by natural gas and other fuels.
Over the last ten years, Ontario households have experienced the smallest increase in home energy costs in Canada, by a significant margin. Between 2010 and 2019, average annual home energy spending in Ontario increased by only $87 compared to the Canadian average of $216. The slow growth in Ontario home energy spending is largely due to the Fair Hydro Plan, an electricity cost subsidy program introduced by the Province in 2017. In 2019, the Fair Hydro Plan provided the average Ontario household with a $535 subsidy.
To learn more, read the full report here.
QUICK FACTS
- The average Ontario household spends more on home energy than households in Manitoba, Quebec and British Columbia but less than households in the Atlantic Provinces, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- From 2010 to 2016, spending by Ontario households on home energy increased by 16 per cent, from $2,078 in 2010 to $2,408 in 2016. This increase in spending was primarily driven by rapid growth in the supply cost of electricity.
- From 2016 to 2019, spending by Ontario households on home energy decreased by 10 per cent, from $2,408 in 2016 to $2,165 in 2019. This decrease was the result of the Fair Hydro Plan’s electricity cost subsidy.
- In 2019, the average Ontario household spent 2.6 per cent of their after-tax (i.e., disposable) income on home energy costs, down from 3.0 per cent in 2010.
About the FAO
Established by the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) provides independent analysis on the state of the Province’s finances, trends in the provincial economy and related matters important to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Visit http://www.fao-on.org/en/ and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InfoFAO.
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For further information, please contact:
Jessica Martin | 647 527 2385 | JMartin@fao-on.org | fao-on.org
