Celebrating 1 Year of Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades
Energize Bridgewater is celebrating 1 year of our home upgrades program! Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades launched on December 1, 2022 to help Bridgewater residents reduce their home energy costs. The program includes helping hands every step of the way.
The Energize Bridgewater team helps with:
filling in paperwork to enter the program
conducting a home energy assessment
recommending the best energy-efficient upgrades
finding all available grants, rebates and low-interest financing
managing contractors to complete the upgrades
conducting a follow-up home energy
ongoing energy advice and support
To be eligible to participate, you must:
live full-time in Bridgewater
own your home (single detached, semi-detached, rowhouse, or mobile home)
have a total household income of $27,250 or less (1 person household), $50,635 or less (2-4 person household) or $72,113 (5+ person household)
Personalized Support for Participants
Over 100 households have signed up to participate in Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades over the past year. Participants are getting customized upgrade reports with options to choose from for their home. Some upgrades are offered for no cost, and some upgrades include an option to finance a portion of the cost at a low (1%) interest rate. Common upgrades include insulation, draft-proofing, mini-split heat pumps and whole-home heating systems.
Jessica McDonald, Energize Bridgewater Director, explains that Energize Bridgewater’s approach to putting participants first sets our program apart from other energy efficiency programs.
One of our program participants shared “Having one customer representative is really helpful. It’s nice to have the same person every time you call so they know who you are and the details of your application.”
When asked if Energize Bridgewater is on track to meet our goal of reducing the rate of energy poverty by 20% by 2026, McDonald said;
“Yes, with the caveat that the external factors outside of our control, such as inflation, changes in the housing market, the rising rate of homelessness and housing insecurity, will possibly prevent us from achieving our impact on the energy poverty rate.”
As for what McDonald is most proud of this year? That we have a home upgrades program with participants in it. It’s taken three years, heavy lifting by our staff team, contracts with external partners, and a lot of ambition to get Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades up and running. We are excited to be making a difference for residents in our Town.
McDonald says part of our goal is to complete energy-efficient upgrades in 350 homes in Bridgewater, and she is very confident we will achieve that by 2026. She adds “The year ahead is about how we can help renters and get landlords into our program...and getting our Energy Management Information System up and running to help with lower energy bills and better comfort."
Bridgewater residents who want to participate in Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades
can call 902-530-3621 or email info@energizebridgewater.ca