The Atmospheric Fund has granted $60,000 to Durham Region to design an energy renovation program for homeowners.
“I’m thrilled to have the support of the Atmospheric Fund as we take yet another step forward to address our climate emergency,” said Ian McVey, Manager of Sustainability, Region of Durham. “These funds will help us design a made-in-Durham solution to a key challenge: lowering our greenhouse gas emissions.”
Single-family homes are the most common building type in Durham and a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. With energy renovations, older homes could lower their energy use and emissions by at least 40 per cent, said a municipal media statement.
The Atmospheric Fund grant will fund market research, data analysis and a technical assessment. This includes a deep dive into the region’s housing types and ages, their current energy use and the barriers that are stopping homeowners from carrying out energy efficiency upgrades. Equipped with this information, the region intends to move forward with designing an evidence-based program that encourages local homeowners to improve the energy performance of their homes, creates new jobs and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, said the statement.
Details will be built out over the coming months in partnership with local municipalities, utilities, post-secondary institutions and the private sector.
In January 2020, the Region of Durham declared a climate emergency and committed to accelerated action towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient region.
The Atmospheric Fund is a regional climate agency that invests in low-carbon solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and helps scale them up for broad implementation.
Quick facts
- This program represents implementation of the Durham Community Energy Plan, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while reducing costs and creating new jobs.
- The region has set a community greenhouse gas reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050.