The province is hiking its oil heating rebate and making it accessible to more people, but those who heat with electricity won't see a penny more.

The Progressive Conservative government announced the enhanced home heating program Wednesday, just months after saying a $200 rebate was all it could afford.

The rebate for low-income people who heat their homes with oil is going up to $450. More people will be eligible since the income thresholds are going up, too, from $25,000 to $40,000 for families and $15,000 to $25,000 for single people.

Those who heat with electricity aren't being offered any extra help.

That doesn't impress Gerald Patterson, 75, one of the seniors who came out to hear Premier Rodney MacDonald's announcement in New Glasgow.

Patterson said renters and seniors who heat with electricity deserve a break, too.

"The homeowner is going to get a rebate in oil. Most of the apartments are electricity. [The price of] electricity is going out of the roof the same as oil. Why isn't the rebate paid out more to them, similar to the oil?" he said.

Renters may get a break through their landlords, said Cameron McNeil, a bureaucrat with Service Nova Scotia.

"[The rebate] would hopefully flow through to tenants through less pressure to increase rents, and so forth," McNeil said.

Premier Rodney MacDonald said the "immediate" pressure is on those heating with oil. Besides, he said, an eight-per-cent rebate program for oil, propane, electricity and other energy that is paid out to all Nova Scotians still exists.

"Those who heat with electricity will also see a rebate of up to $150, so there's still a rebate program in place for those using electricity," the premier said.

Coupled with that rebate, about 52,000 households will get an average of about $700 to help their homes, MacDonald said.

There are other initiatives the government says will help in the short and long term.

People can apply for a $5,000, interest-free loan to make their home more energy efficient, as long as they've gone through an EnerGuide audit. They have five years to pay the money back.

The province says about 450 low-income earners will get needed repairs for free, up from 200 last year, through the Residential Energy Assistance Program.

In addition, anyone who replaces an old furnace with an energy-efficient model can get a $500 rebate.

The province is also doubling its assistance to the Salvation Army's home heating program, from $400,000 to $800,000.

MacDonald said the new initiatives add up to nearly $30 million, which brings the total spending on the Heat Smart plan to nearly $92 million this year.

Both opposition parties are taking credit for the expanded home heating program.

"Some of the measures are NDP plus," said NDP Leader Darrell Dexter.

The province says applications for the oil rebate and interest-free loan will be available before the end of October.