Affordable Home Energy for All
Source: Jessica McIlroy & Betsy Agar | · NEWS ONTARIO · | January 7, 2025
How Alberta could help its most vulnerable households escape energy poverty
Alberta governments and utilities could be helping its most financially vulnerable households escape energy poverty while unlocking significant economic development opportunities. Our report Affordable Home Energy for All: How Alberta can help its most vulnerable households escape energy poverty – written in partnership with the Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator program – highlights the importance of addressing energy poverty in Alberta by investing in affordable, energy-efficient solutions that also improve health, resilience, and long-term affordability for low-income households. Investing $212 million per year in this housing stock segment could help grow the retrofit market, stimulate $850 million per year in GDP growth, and create 42,700 long-term jobs by 2050 in communities throughout Alberta.
As energy prices and cost-of-living concerns continue to rise, Alberta’s most vulnerable households are experiencing the impacts firsthand. Energy poverty – which refers to the struggles some households face in affording essential energy needed to heat, cool, and power their homes – affects six per cent of low-income households in Alberta. These households often reside in older, less energy-efficient buildings, making them more vulnerable to fluctuating energy prices and extreme weather impacts.
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