Safety is the reason, and summer is the season to take care of furnace maintenance. After a very successful Tune-Up Assistance Program in 2018, SaskEnergy is teaming up again this year with its Network Members, to provide quality furnace maintenance to low-income homeowners across the province.
“The number one reason we do it is for safety, so if you can't afford a tune-up, we want to make sure that we're offering it to people across Saskatchewan,” explained Customer Solutions Leader Samantha Gross. “It's something you need to be doing annually, you should be doing it every year or at least cleaning it, and we want to be able to help people and educate people on how to do that.”
She said there are just too many costs and risks inherent in not maintaining the furnace in any home.
“The air in your home might not be as clean,” she said. “If the furnace isn’t cleaned often, then it can actually damage your furnace, so that can lead to more expensive repairs or a furnace replacement sooner than it would have needed to be. And if you have a faulty furnace, that can also lead to carbon monoxide poison, too.”
“Part of this program is getting people to identify natural gas and carbon monoxide in their homes too, and that's why there's a free multi-gas detector that comes with the program,” she added.
Applications are now being accepted from low-income homeowners having a combined annual income of no more than $68,000. Renters/rental properties are not eligible.
“Basically anyone that fits into that criteria,” said Gross. “We do have a maximum, but we haven't hit that yet. Hopefully, we hit it this year. So basically, you apply, you make under $68,000 and you live within 20 kilometres of a Network Member, and they can come out and do it for you.”
TAP serves as a reminder to all Saskatchewan homeowners about the importance of furnace maintenance and cleaning or replacing furnace filters every one to two months during the winter heating season.
“The Tune Assistance Program provides SaskEnergy with a great opportunity to give back to the community while promoting natural gas safety. TAP helps educate and assist families in need by offering those who qualify a free furnace tune-up," said Gross.
Participating communities are selected based on the location of SaskEnergy Network Members who provide the SaskEnergy Network Home Heating Tune-Up service. In this area, those include Carlyle, Estevan, Moose Jaw, Regina, and Weyburn. Applications under the Tune-Up Assistance Program are accepted if you are located in one of the communities listed or within a 20-kilometre radius.
Find out more information about TAPm as well as the application, HERE.