Buildings and construction account for almost 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions globally. But while the provincial government has created steps to make new come construction more energy efficient, outdated homes continue to contribute to our climate crisis. Simply put, if we want to meet our climate goals, we need to turn our focus to older homes and buildings.
City Councils will need to take bold steps to retrofit pre-existing homes if we want to meet our climate goals.
- In Toronto, home owners can receive up to a $125,000 loan to make their home more energy efficient.
- In Halifax, the municipality has created an incentive loan program for home owners to add solar panels, solar hot air, and solar hot water to their home.
- In Guelph, a Property Assessed Clean Energy Program has been introduced to provide easy borrowing to home owners wishing to improve the performance of their home.