First homes retrofitted in $500M federal pilot

August 21, 2023



A new national pilot project will see up to 15 homes in Vernon, B.C., retrofitted with energy-saving upgrades—and more could be on the way right across Canada.
The Green Municipal Fund's  Community Efficiency Financing (GMF) program will invest up to $500,000 to support the HomeZero Collective Society retrofitting project.
The pilot is funded by the federal government and administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
The project focuses on retrofitting homes using lessons learned from a previous GMF study that looked at incentivizing whole neighbourhoods to participate in home-energy retrofitting.
The retrofit measures are expected to reduce home emissions by 85 per cent to 99 per cent—including geothermal or air source heat pumps, solar power installations, hybrid electric hot water systems, and electric vehicle charging outlets.
Performance monitoring systems will also be installed to show energy and emissions reductions to homeowners.
If successful, the pilot could be scaled up to include more homes and neighbourhoods and could act as a roadmap for other communities, according to a GMF release.
"By investing in energy-efficient, low-carbon homes, we are taking the steps needed to create good-paying jobs, save ratepayer money and fight climate change for years to come," Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said.
"Initiatives like HomeZero Collective Society's project could not come at a better time," said FCM president Scott Pearce.
"The retrofits will in turn lead to reduced emissions and energy use and bills and set a roadmap for other communities."