Access to affordable, clean energy should not be a luxury in Canada. However, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities often face energy costs up to three times the national average. Ecotrust Canada believes that new clean technologies, innovative policies, and local expertise can come together to eliminate energy insecurity. Our Community Energy program partners with Indigenous communities on retrofit projects to make homes healthier and more climate-resilient while reducing energy bills, improving air quality, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. We develop customized residential energy efficiency programs in underserved rural regions in collaboration with local governments. As we strive to achieve energy justice across Canada, we build awareness and propose solutions to improve policies and programs through timely research that informs policymakers and the public.
The challenge
Across Canada, nearly two million households experience energy insecurity, spending more than twice the national median on their energy costs. Energy insecurity means that families are suffering from high rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and mould-related illnesses caused by living in homes that are too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and poorly ventilated. It means transporting diesel fuel across some of Canada’s most pristine environments, and it means some families are forced to choose between paying heating bills or paying for life’s other essentials. In British Columbia, where we work, nearly 300,000 households experience energy insecurity. As economic and climate conditions worsen, more families in Canada are affected by energy insecurity and the health impacts of under- and over-heated homes. Households in disadvantaged rural, remote, and Indigenous communities are often the most overlooked by traditional programming and investment.
What is possible
Energy justice is achieved in Canada, where everyone has affordable access to essential home energy services while living in comfortable, healthy homes. This transition will also catalyze a future in which communities use localized, climate-safe, and resilient energy systems.
Over the next five years, our partnerships will prove the possible by:
- Implementing home energy retrofits that advance energy security, health, and climate resilience.
- Enabling public policy change that addresses barriers to energy justice by improving energy access, affordability, and home energy retrofit resources for the households that need them most.
- Supporting community aspirations around place-based energy economies by providing resources, guidance, and capacity-building.
Why Ecotrust Canada?
Ecotrust Canada has built a team of in-house technical and business experts in home energy solutions and policy research. Over the past few years, we have brought our skills to a number of partnerships, including with Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation, Quatsino First Nation, ‘Na̲mg̲is First Nation, Hupačasath First Nation, St’át’imc Nation, and numerous municipalities, including the cities of Prince Rupert and Powell River, and the Regional District of Mount Waddington. Our program began in 2018 with a pilot project with the Haíɫzaqv Nation in Bella Bella, BC, to replace diesel furnaces with clean energy-powered heat pumps. Since then, our program has enabled over 500 households to save $12.5 million on energy costs while eliminating over 18,000 tonnes of GHG emissions and providing lifesaving cooling during heat waves. Based on the success of this project and others, Ecotrust Canada’s team of experienced community planners, policy experts, and engineers are now set to broaden this approach with communities across Canada.
In 2024, we launched the Home Energy Savings Program in North Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert, BC, where residents face exorbitant heat expenses and discomfort due to temperature fluctuations and drafts. This is a no-cost service designed to assist residents in completing home energy-efficient upgrades.
“The benefits aren’t just financial. We’re bringing in less fuel by barge, supporting our traditional values and bringing clean energy into our homes.”
— Marilyn Slett, Chief Councillor, Heiltsuk Tribal Council
How to support us
If your community is curious about introducing a retrofit program to install cost-saving home energy retrofits that improve energy efficiency, reach out to our team. If you’d like to support our on-the-ground work in communities, contact us to find out how you can donate and make the most impact.
Stories
- Welcoming a big year for energy affordability in Canada
- How BC can catch up with Atlantic Canada in the push for energy affordability
- Energy advisor program graduate steps into her new career
- Upgrading homes in Prince Rupert: Savings potential and strategies for breaking down barriers
- Coming together to envision an energy-just future
- How the Haíɫzaqv Nation is taking centre stage on community-led climate action
- VIDEO: Haíɫzaqv Heat Pump Project – Ha’aikila Qnts ‘Waxv:wiusax (Taking Care of Our Land)
Research
- Moving toward energy security in BC’s rural, remote, and Indigenous communities
- Rethinking energy bill protections in British Columbia
- Transforming Income-Qualified Home Energy Retrofit Programs in BC
- Paving the Way for Equitable Decarbonization of British Columbia’s Residential Homes
- The Missing Third: Improving Tenants’ Rights to Energy Efficient, Climate Resilient, and Safe Housing
- Advancing tenants’ rights to retrofits and energy efficiency: Research Report
The team
Graham Anderson, Director of Community Energy
Dylan Heerema, Senior Policy Advisor
Josephine Schrott, Senior Program Manager & Policy Analyst
Caroline Parnell, Project Manager
Michael-Anthony Lutfy, Regional Retrofits Project Manager
Sharon Marshall, Program Manager
Phil Climie, Advisor