This summer marked the one year anniversary of the launch of the Home Upgrades Program (HUP), the first and only program of its kind in Alberta, that tackles energy affordability by providing free energy efficiency education and home upgrades for eligible lower-income households in Calgary, Edmonton, Canmore, and most recently St. Albert. HUP is delivered in partnership between Alberta Ecotrust and Kambo Energy Group.

Many families across Alberta struggle to pay to heat and power their home. In Canada, households that spend more than 6% of their after-tax income on energy bills are considered to be in energy poverty. HUP addresses energy poverty and demonstrates how climate programming can address multiple issues or provide multiple benefits at once; also known as multi-solving. Through the program,  households benefit from improved affordability, increased home comfort and safety, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the program launched in the summer of 2023, over 125 homes in Calgary and Edmonton have been upgraded, with the program set to help 215 households by the end of the fall. To date, the estimated impact on emissions reductions is an average of 2.0 tCO2e per home per year.

We celebrated the anniversary of the program by visiting the homes of two program participants to learn more about how the program has positively impacted their lives. In Calgary, the program team, joined by City of Calgary Councillor, Evan Spencer, met with Jennifer Vu. Originally from Vietnam, Jennifer is a single mom who used to spend 27% of her income on her energy bills prior to joining the program.  HUP significantly improved her attic insulation (from 2” to 18”), replaced her 23-year-old water heater with a high-efficiency model, and provided air sealing. Safety issues discovered during the work – including poor wiring and missing smoke detectors – were also corrected. 

In Edmonton, Lynda Engelhardt, a west end resident, toured Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and the program team through her home. Lynda showed us her new high efficiency furnace and windows, while reflecting on how the upgrades have improved the comfort in her home. She smiled and laughed when asked what she thinks about the program, “I think it’s awesome! It was such a joyous day for me, to know that I was going to get the help and that they came so fast and did it so professionally.”

These are just two of the stories from the many households that have benefited from HUP over the past year.  This important work would not be possible without the support of our partners and funders. The program is supported by Alberta Ecotrust’s Climate Innovation Fund, Alberta Real Estate Foundation, City of Calgary, City of Edmonton, Calgary Foundation, ENMAX, McConnell Foundation, Suncor Energy Foundation, the Town of Canmore, and St. Albert through the Green Municipal Fund. These organizations came together to fill a gap to provide much needed support to households that otherwise may not have been able to afford costly upgrades. 

The current program goal to support 215 households, has been met and a waitlist is available for additional eligible applicants. There is an opportunity to continue to scale up the program and with approximately 1 in 5 households in Alberta experiencing energy poverty (CUSP, 2019), we know that there is great need for a program of this nature. With additional funding, we could increase our impact and reach more households. We invite anyone interested in supporting the program to reach out to our team.

For more information on how to apply or become a funder, visit homeupgradesprogram.ca.

For more information please contact:

Stefanie Drozda

s.drozda@albertaecotrust.com

Alberta Ecotrust Foundation

Pictures on this page include City of Calgary Councillor Evan Spencer with Jennifer Vu (top) and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi with Lynda Engelhardt (middle).