Powell River Home Retrofit Program Feasibility Study

The City of Powell River plans to undertake a study to evaluate the feasibility of a program to finance home energy-efficiency upgrades in its community. There are over 8,000 homes within the city’s boundaries, most of which are single-family homes occupied by their owners. Many are old and have little to no insulation. British Columbia’s low-carbon electricity grid has created an opportunity for dramatically reducing emissions by electrifying home heating systems. The province does not currently have enabling legislation in place for municipalities to run Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. As such, the municipality will be engaging with a local credit union to explore direct third-party lending. The study will address potential program barriers, including lack of community awareness surrounding home energy efficiency, contractor shortages, financial uncertainties, and public outreach and communications. The scope of work includes a review of existing home retrofit programs in British Columbia and a detailed housing stock assessment for Powell River, followed by a series of workshops and surveys with key stakeholders (homeowners, contractors, Certified Energy Advisors, city staff and private financial institutions). Findings will be compiled and synthesized into program design recommendations. The study is linked to the City of Powell River’s 2020–2022 Strategic Plan, Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and Community Energy and Emissions Plan, as well as the Sustainability Charter for the Powell River Region. Innovative aspect(s): Powell River has a high energy cost burden. This study will look specifically at the unique challenges faced by low-income households considering home retrofits to identify ways a program could mitigate those challenges. Replicability: · Given current legislative barriers in British Columbia (the lack of PACE-enabling legislation), the study’s focus on third-party financing could be useful for communities of similar size across the province. · A summary and video will be publicly shared after the study has been completed, which could be useful to other communities looking to implement their own home retrofit programs (Project description from original funding application)