Durham’s home retrofit program pays off for residents

Whitby, Ontario – Earlier today, representatives from the Durham Greener Homes Program participated in the Net Zero Renovation Bootcamp, funded by Natural Resources Canada, and hosted by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. The bootcamp was held to build capacity for all professionals involved in energy efficiency renovations – from design to permitting, through procurement and construction trades.  Building industry capacity to deliver net zero renovations is a critical element of achieving Durham Region’s low carbon pathway.

The Durham Greener Homes program was launched in April 2022 and is already helping residents move forward with deep energy retrofits. Two climate-conscious Durham residents, Jim and Sobia, recently enrolled in the Program, and were eager to find ways of reducing their home’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving home comfort, while receiving valuable rebates in the process.

Jim’s house, located in Oshawa and built in the 1950s, was an ideal candidate for Durham Greener Homes. He upgraded his attic insulation, replaced some windows, and installed a cold climate heat pump, a heat pump water heater, and a battery storage unit for solar power. These retrofits resulted in a 93 per cent GHG emissions reduction for Jim’s home. After Jim’s deep retrofit numbers were tallied and upgrades installed, he received an incentive cheque from the Region for more than $9,300, plus an additional cheque from the Canada Greener Homes Grant valued at over $5,500.

Sobia’s home was constructed in 1986, in Pickering. After a few appointments with a home energy coach, Sobia was ready to install a cold climate air source heat pump with a new supporting water heater, as well as solar panels and a battery storage unit. These retrofits resulted in a 90 per cent GHG emissions reduction. At the end of the consultations and installs, Sobia received a cheque for $9,000 in home retrofit incentives from the Region’s Deep Energy Retrofit Rebate, as well as over $5,500 from the Canada Greener Homes Grant.

Jim and Sobia are just two great examples of how investing in deep energy retrofits to your home can pay off and reduce GHGs at the same time. Through Durham’s partnership with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association on the Net Zero Bootcamp, we are building industry capacity to deliver more deep retrofits over the coming years.

For home energy upgrades, access to a home energy coach, an interactive web-portal, and financing incentives, visit DurhamGreenerHomes.ca.

Quotes:

“The Durham Greener Homes success stories we’re receiving are inspiring to see. It means people are actively getting involved and doing their part to address climate change. Residents are taking important steps to make their homes more climate resilient, energy efficient and low carbon.”
– John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer

“Windfall Ecology Centre has been helping Durham residents retrofit their homes for over 20 years. We are proud to combine all we have learned in that time to Durham Greener Homes, a best-in-class home retrofit facilitation service designed to ease renovation anxiety and help homeowners get the most from their energy efficiency investments. Studies show that homeowners who access independent expert advice on their home energy renovations achieve on average 24 per cent greater energy savings than those who don’t.”
– Brent Kopperson, Executive Director, Windfall Ecology Centre

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