GOODBYE PEAKSAVER. HELLO GreenON.

A $270-million energy conservation program that allowed utilities in Ontario to remotely access home thermostats and scale back power usage during peak demand times is coming to an end Saturday, having been activated only 21 times in a decade.

And while one provincial program winds down, another is expected to replace it.

The GreenON Installations program, paid in part from proceeds of Ontario's cap-and-trade auctions, will be offering eligible households a chance to have a smart thermostat — capable of communicating through a mobile phone, unlike the Peaksaver thermostats — installed at no cost.

The province said 100,000 smart thermostats will be available for installation, beginning in the fall.