With winter approaching and a potential nine per cent power rate hike in the forecast for spring, many people are thinking about how to save on their electricity bills.

Heat pump installers and energy efficiency advocates say it's a good time to make energy-saving home improvements.

CBC News spoke with the people who run government incentive programs to find out what help is available and how to get it.

Here's the run-down.

Live-in homeowners with a total household income of less than $70,000.

It doesn't matter if:

All as recommended by the energy advisor working for the program, Greenfoot Energy Solutions.

The total cost of the upgrades. It's budgeted for about 2,000 households per year.

Any homeowner in the province with any income level and any type of heating system.

The program can be used:

A set amount to defray part of the cost of each eligible item.

The average homeowner who goes through the program gets about $1,700, said Beth Pollock, N.B. Power's senior manager of Efficiency Services, but there's no set limit.

Some get $10,000, depending on how much work is done.

*Note: If you got a previous federal rebate for a heat pump, you could still qualify for a grant to upgrade your system.

* Multi-unit residential buildings larger than two units aren't covered for heat pumps or thermostats. 

Grants of $125 to $5,000, with smaller maximum amounts for some of the various types of improvements. 

The program is budgeted for 700,000 grants over seven years. As of last winter there had been more than 182,000 applications.

*Note, you can't get approved if the work has already started.

The same type of upgrades listed in the Canada Greener Homes Grant program, as recommended through an EnerGuide evaluation.

An interest-free loan of $5,000 to $40,000, repayable over 10 years. A maximum of one loan is available per eligible property. Up to 15 per cent can be available up front for contractor down payments, if needed, 25 per cent for Indigenous groups.

If you've already been through the grant program, you can still apply for a loan a few months down the road to complete other recommended upgrades, said Abla Hanna, director general of Energy Efficiency. .

Fill out the provincial form first, to trigger the home energy evaluation process. You can use the same audit for the federal program. And you can apply to both at the same time.

If you're buying any supplies or equipment make sure it's approved for each program you'd like to use: 

Make sure you use a licensed installer for electrical work and heat pumps. 

You need a consent letter from your power company for a solar system connected to the grid.

If you want to get the federal rebate as well as the provincial one, make sure you don't start the work until you're at the approved phase in the Greener Homes process. And check your messages frequently if you're waiting for an approval. Program staff may ask for more information.

Take full advantage of your EnerGuide home assessment provider for advice on the best upgrades and help navigating the system, said Louise Comeau, director of climate change adaptation with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. 

Do as much of the recommended work as you can, said Comeau. The process isn't as easy as it could be so you probably wouldn't want to have to go through it again. And the greater the energy savings, the more the renovations shelter you from inflation and pay off over time.

If you want access to the Enhanced Energy Savings Program, apply as soon as possible. There are about 35,000 households that could use it, said Comeau, and at the current funding level they won't all be able to get it. 

Applications are approved as they are processed, said Pollock, with a new batch sent to the contracted service provider every few days. She hopes that whatever applications come in can be approved in the next couple of years.

Jennifer Sweet has been telling the stories of New Brunswickers for over 20 years. She is originally from Bathurst, got her journalism degree from Carleton University and is based in Fredericton. She can be reached at 451-4176 or jennifer.sweet@cbc.ca.

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