Low-Income Energy Assistance Plan (LEAP)

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) is designed to help families who are struggling to pay their electricity bill. Low-income customers can get up to $500 in emergency assistance for their electricity bills ($600 if your home is heated electrically) and $500 for their natural gas bills.

Low-income qualification must be supplied to ERTH Power Corporation by a qualified agency.

The assistance is only available if you are behind on your bill (in arrears) and are at risk of having your utility service disconnected. You cannot receive more money than you owe on your bill.

Emergency financial assistance is for emergency situations only and is not meant to provide you with ongoing help to pay your bills.

Temporary changes to LEAP:

Effective February 27, 2023 through 2023, the Ontario Energy Board will provide ongoing flexibility in relation to eligibility criteria for the Low-income Energy Assistance Program – Emergency Financial Assistance (LEAP EFA). Specifically:

• To be eligible for LEAP EFA, the applicant still needs to be in arrears but does not need to be in threat of disconnection or have been disconnected, and;
• The limitation on receiving LEAP EFA only once per year is waived, but the total amount received by a household may not exceed the maximum grant amount for the year.

LEAP EFA income eligibility criteria

The chart below outlines the income requirements depending on the number of people in your household.

Household after tax income ($)	Number of people living in home							Add New	Add New	Add New	Add New	Add New	Add New
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Less then 28,000	Add New
28,001 - 39,000
39,001 - 48,000
48,001 - 52,000

Customers must apply through an authorized Ontario intake agency and meet certain criteria to qualify. Below is a list of intake agencies in the ERTH Power service territory.

• Huron County Social Services: 1-888-371-5718, then press 0.
• Salvation Army – Woodstock: 519-539-6166
• Salvation Army – St. Thomas: 519-633-4509

Step 1: Collecting your paperwork

In most cases, you will have to meet with a representative of the social agency that you are applying through.

During this process, you will be asked to provide:

• Identification
• Current electricity and gas bills
• A disconnection notice, if you have received one
• A copy of a rental contract, lease or mortgage documents
• Proof of household income – cheque stub, employment letter, income tax return for adult members of household
• A copy of your most recent bank statement

Step 2: Approving your status

The agency looking at your case will decide whether you qualify as low-income. As part of this process, the agency will contact ERTH Power and ask us to pause any further disconnection or collection activity on your account until a decision is made. Your utility will also be notified if your application is denied.

NOTE: Emergency financial assistance is provided on a first-come first-served basis. Funds may be limited. Grants are issued on your behalf and paid directly to your utility. You will not receive a cheque.

To learn more, visit the Ontario Energy Board website.