Alberta municipalities receive $25M for energy-efficient home renovations

Four cities in Alberta are receiving nearly $25.6 million in funding through the Community Efficiency Financing (CEF) initiative.

The initiative’s goal is to upgrade and retrofit homes with energy efficiency practices and provide jobs in the sustainability and environmental sector.

With #GoC, we’re excited to announce a $25.6M investment through @GreenMuniFund’s Community Efficiency Financing (CEF) initiative, the first of its kind in Canada, to help implement 4 new home energy retrofit financing programs in Alberta. pic.twitter.com/Dzb55ZqrB8

— FCM (@FCM_online) October 3, 2022

The purpose of CEF is to allow communities of all sizes access and participate in innovative local financing programs such as the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), utility on-bill financing and third-party lending partnerships, according to a municipal release.

“We are working with municipalities across Alberta to deliver greener buildings and support sustainable economic growth,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, the minister of natural resource. “(Monday’s) announcement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will help our partners in Calgary, St. Albert, Lethbridge and Canmore deliver more efficient and comfortable homes that will lower bills for Canadian families, take action against climate change and create good jobs for workers. The Government of Canada is pleased to support these initiatives.”

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“The investment from the Green Municipal fund will ensure we’re able to help residents in our city make real, tangible energy efficiency and sustainability improvements to their homes,” said Mayor Blaine Hyggen for the City of Lethbridge. “It also means job creation in our community and with 20 per cent of this funding dedicated to supporting affordable housing providers with their properties, we’ll see some of the most vulnerable in our community experience improved facilities.

“Thanks to the $3.8 million in grant and loan funding, we’re going to see a reduction in our overall carbon footprint and that supports our environmental responsibility focus as a City Council.”

The funds will be administered as grants and loans through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) allowing each of the designated municipalities to establish a home energy retrofit financing program and lend to homeowners, states the government release.

For example, if a homeowner decides to sign up for the energy efficiency financing program they would repay the cost of their home energy projects through a Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) expense added to their property tax bills.

“Municipalities experience the drastic impacts of are on the front lines of climate change and communities of all sizes are showing leadership at a time when we need it most. The Green Municipal Fund empowers local governments to deliver results with our federal partners – supporting municipalities across Alberta build greener, more sustainable communities, creating jobs and helping Canadians make their homes more comfortable and affordable. Together, we are on the path to net-zero,” said Taneen Rudyk, FCM President

Here’s a list of the total funding provided to each municipality:

• City of Calgary ($15,000,000)
• City of St. Albert ($5,017,400)
• City of Lethbridge ($3,814,300)
• Town of Canmore ($1,622,960)

And one of the partner organizations, the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, will receive $140,700 to look into the feasibility of programs like CEIP, which provide access to capital, conducted by contractors who encourage those already working on home renovations to do more energy efficient upgrades.

“We are excited to be part of the Low Carbon Cities Canada Network and appreciate the investment from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Cities of Calgary and Edmonton to our Climate Innovation Fund to design a program offering an additional financing and retrofit option for homeowners in both cities,” said Pat Letizia, President and CEO of the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation.

“We are confident in the potential for this kind of programming to complement Clean Energy Improvement Programs and be adapted to other municipalities through our extensive network of partners and collaborators.”