BC Hydro Wants Your Home More Efficient—With Free Thermostats
New Power Smart 2.0 program offers $350 smart thermostats, energy rebates, and household incentives to cut electricity use.
BC Hydro is launching a new suite of energy efficiency programs called Power Smart 2.0, and they're putting their money where their mouth is: free smart thermostats for homes with baseboard heaters, up to $200 per year in household incentives, and rebates for energy-efficient products.
The timing isn't accidental. The province is betting big on major mining and liquefied natural gas projects coming online, and they need electricity capacity to power them. Rather than scramble to build new generation, BC Hydro is essentially paying households to use less power. It's cheaper and faster.
The breakdown: homes with baseboard heaters get a free $350 smart thermostat. Income-qualified households can grab up to $325 in energy efficiency support. And anyone can snag up to $200 in rebates for select energy-efficient products—think efficient water heaters, heat pumps, and the like. Premier David Eby framed it as a win for both bill payers and the grid. He's not wrong—smarter thermostats mean fewer peak-demand spikes, and lower bills for homeowners.
The program rolls out as BC faces mounting pressure to manage electricity demand without raising rates or building new dams. If you've been thinking about upgrading your heating system or just tired of cranking your baseboard heater up and down by hand, this is your window. The specifics—eligibility, application timelines, which products qualify—should land soon on BC Hydro's website.
It's a practical bet on home efficiency as infrastructure policy.