Plan includes eight initiatives geared at addressing ‘rising costs of living and more extreme weather events’
It is a first-of-its-kind for the City of Guelph, as it looks to help those struggling with high energy costs.
The city has announced its newly formed energy equity action plan, outlining eight actions to help people keep the lights on, the heat and cool air flowing through homes and ultimately keep residents safe under their own roof, no matter their situation.
“No one should have to choose between keeping their home cool and paying for other basic needs,” Mayor Cam Gurhrie said in a news release.
“This plan gives us practical, community-shaped solutions to support energy equity in Guelph. Through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, we committed to act on energy poverty. Council’s unanimous vote shows we are united around the need to move this work forward.”
The city said the plan looks to “address rising costs of living and more extreme weather events” and aims to tackle “underlying barriers that make it harder for residents to improve their homes.”
The city added about 4,550 local homeowners struggle with high energy costs, and over 12,000 renter households have issues meeting basic needs, which increases their risk of energy insecurity.
The plans include:
- Develop an energy coaching program
- Improve outreach (e.g. more languages, targeted outreach efforts)
- Expand home energy retrofit programs to help residents improve energy efficiency, regardless of income or housing type
- Advocate for a utility-led home energy retrofit program
- Support the adoption of the rental renovation bylaw to help preserve affordable rentals while enabling needed upgrades
- Explore a new maximum temperature bylaw to help address unsafe indoor heat in rental housing
- Track progress and report outcomes to the community and beyond
- Create tools to help city staff understand local energy use, costs and equity impacts
The plan was put together with help from the city, the Guelph Lab and researchers at both the University of Guelph and University of Toronto.