Oakville considers financing plan for home energy retrofits

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Published March 8, 2022 at 4:52 pm

The Town of Oakville is currently gauging interest in a potential home energy improvements program and invites Oakville residents who own detached, semi-detached and townhome properties to take the new home retrofit survey and provide their input. INSAUGA PHOTO

The Town of Oakville is looking for public input on a potential home energy improvements program.

The program would provide access to financing for homeowners to complete home energy retrofits that could potentially improve their home’s energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.

The Town is looking into just how much interest there would be in the program and is asking residents who own detached, semi-detached and townhome properties to take part in a new home retrofit survey and provide input.

“We are creating a more sustainable and livable Oakville,” said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. “By addressing residential energy consumption and making energy improvements more accessible to homeowners, we can reduce our overall carbon footprint.

“I encourage homeowners to take the home retrofit survey to help shape a potential home energy retrofit program for our community.”

This initiative between the Town of Oakville and Oakville Hydro is one of the priority projects from the Council-endorsed Community Energy Strategy (CES).

It aims to cut energy use and cost of residential properties which accounts for 33 per cent of the town’s total energy use, and represents the second largest source of the town’s GHG emissions at 27 per cent.

By potentially using local improvement charges (LICs), an existing financial tool available under the Municipal Act, 2001, homeowners would have easier access to the upfront capital cost to complete energy retrofits, with the amount paid back gradually through property tax payments.

The home retrofit survey is available on the town website until March 27.

Input collected from the survey will be used for a feasibility study on developing a potential home energy retrofit program.

Residents can also sign up to join a focus group on March 25 to share their input.

Key highlights 

  • In 2020, the Town of Oakville endorsed the CES to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2041 and 80 per cent by 2050.
  • In 2021, the Oakville Energy Task Force initiated the creation of Future Energy Oakville to oversee the implementation of the CES. The development of a residential energy retrofit program is one of the priority projects from the CES.
  • An energy-efficiency retrofit could include wall/roof insulation, lighting changes, window upgrades, improved temperature control, high efficiency furnaces, air conditioning or hot water heater upgrades, low-flow faucets and more.
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