Join Utilities Kingston during Home Heating Week on Nov. 27 - Dec. 1. Get expert tips, tricks, and ideas to keep your home comfortable and energy-efficient during the colder months, while managing your heating costs all winter long. Plus, enter a draw for a Google Nest smart thermostat.

Over 60 per cent of your annual energy costs go towards heating your home, so it’s worth heating it as efficiently as possible.

During Home Heating Week, Utilities Kingston customers are invited to complete an online home heating quiz and be entered into a draw to win a programable Google Nest smart thermostat.

The contest is open from Nov. 27 - Dec. 8. Contest rules and information, and the online home heating quiz will be available at www.UtilitiesKingston.com starting on Nov. 27.

Need a little help with the quiz answers? Customers are invited to follow Utilities Kingston on X (formerly Twitter) @utilitieskngstn and Facebook @UtilitiesKingston to get the daily home heating tip, from Nov. 27 - Dec. 1. Not on social media? Check our conservation tips or search online, but don’t worry! Correct answers are not required to qualify for the prize.

Want to speak one-on-one with an energy advisor? Utilities Kingston’s conservation expert is holding Home Heating Week office hours on Nov. 29 from 5 to 6 PM. Participate in person at 85 Lappan’s Lane, to get practical tips and advice for heating your home this winter. Alternatively, call 613-546-1181 and dial extension 2765 to speak to your Utilities Kingston energy expert.

Conservation tips for the heating season

• Air leaks account for the largest amount of heat loss from your home! Seal leaks around light fixtures, plumbing stacks, windows, exterior doors, attic hatches, pipe and wire entrances, wood-burning fireplaces, electrical outlets, and ceiling fans.
• Avoid having your furnace thermostat in a room with a fireplace.
• Keep warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators clean and unblocked.
• Insulate heating ducts that travel through unheated areas of your home to prevent heat loss.
• Set the furnace fan switch on "automatic" instead of "on" or "continuous".
• Clean or replace the furnace filter frequently to keep your furnace operating efficiently.
• When buying a new furnace, look for the most energy-efficient model you can find.
• Have a licensed HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) professional service your furnace yearly to ensure it is operating at maximum efficiency. 
• In the winter set the thermostat to 20°C when you are home and 18°C overnight or when away.

Apply for a smart thermostat rebate 

A smart thermostat helps you conserve the energy used to heat or cool your home and saves you money on your biggest home energy cost. Smart thermostats use motion and occupancy sensors to automatically adjust temperatures and maximize energy-efficiency. Users can also adjust the thermostat remotely via Wi-Fi.

Residential customers who receive natural gas services from Utilities Kingston can save on home heating and cooling costs with a $100 credit on the purchase and installation of a smart thermostat. A bill credit will be applied for eligible customers who fill out the application form. Learn more about the smart thermostat rebate.

(If you receive services from Enbridge Gas, visit their website to get a smart thermostat discount code, before you buy).

Other ways to manage your utility bill this winter

Rebates and incentives

Peak Perks Program

The Save on Energy Peak Perks participants maximize savings through their smart thermostats by engaging in short, time-limited thermostat adjustments during high electricity demand periods, often seen on scorching summer days. More information found here:

Canada Greener Homes Grant

The Canada Greener Homes Grant is a collaborative effort between Natural Resources Canada and Enbridge Gas in Ontario, operating within the framework of the Home Efficiency Rebate Plus (HER+) program. This initiative offers grants to qualified homeowners for suggested and eligible home improvements, including enhancements such as insulation, windows, doors, heat pumps, and renewable energy systems.

Energy Affordability Program

The Save on Energy Energy Affordability Program customizes energy-saving enhancements to suit your home's unique requirements, and it comes at zero cost to you. A more energy-efficient home translates to increased comfort and extra savings in your pocket. Achieving energy efficiency is made easy through the Energy Affordability Program.

New! Air source heat pumps

The Energy Affordability Program is now offering free cold climate air source heat pumps to income-eligible households with electric heating.

Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program

The Natural Resources Canada Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program assists Canadian homeowners currently using oil for heating in transitioning to electric heat through the installation of a cold climate air source heat pump system. This change can result in substantial annual savings on heating expenses and contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Monthly credit on the bill

The Ontario Electricity Support Program, or OESP, provides ongoing assistance directly on the bills of eligible low-income electricity consumers.

Customers can apply or reapply online at OntarioElectricitySupport.ca, or by contacting or by contacting United Way Simcoe Muskoka for application information and assistance at 1-855-487-5327.

Equal payment plans

The equal payment plan averages your utility costs over a 12-month period so that you pay an equal amount each month. You will be billed a set amount for eleven months with the close-out amount reflected on the twelfth bill. This settle-up bill will also detail the new installment amount for the coming eleven months. If you choose to join an equal payment plan, you will find the current plan balance on the last page of each monthly bill.

Your account must be paid in full prior to joining the plan. We only recommend the equal payment plan for accounts with a 12-month billing history at the address. 

For information on the installment amount for your address, or to arrange the setup of the plan for your account, please contact customer service at 613-546-1181 from Monday to Friday between 8 AM and 4:30 PM.

Get one-on-one conservation assistance

We're here to help! For one-on-one conservation assistance, reach out to an expert by emailing conservation@utilitieskingston.com.

Contest rules

• The purchase of any product or service is not required in order to participate.
• The prize draw is not open to employees of Utilities Kingston or the City of Kingston.
• The prize draw is open to any Utilities Kingston residential water, wastewater, natural gas, electricity or water heater rental customer who completes the required quiz. A service address is required.
• Prizes are drawn at random.
• Entries are limited to one per person.
• There are prizes available, each valued at approximately $200.
• Prize must be claimed in person at Utilities Kingston, 85 Lappan’s Lane, in Kingston, Ontario.
• If a person’s name is drawn, but they do not claim the prize within 30 days, Utilities Kingston will draw another name at random.
• Personal information is collected under the terms of our privacy policy.
• All prizes won are provided on an “as-is” basis, may not be exactly as shown, and are used at the owners’ own risk.

For further information, call 613-546-1181 and ask a customer service representative to speak with ‘conservation’, or email conservation@utilitieskingston.com.