Retrofit program aims to make 200 Calgary and Edmonton homes more energy efficient
Originally from Albania, Calgarian Vito Rama says she can't believe the generosity of others in Canada.
The retiree, who raised five children on her own, recently applied for and was selected to receive a new furnace, insulation and weather stripping to make her home more energy efficient — thereby reducing her energy bills and making her more comfortable in winter.
"The furnace was too old, my bill was really high, but I would never have been able to do these major renovations," Rama said from her living room in Calgary's southeast community of Dover.
"I'm very, very happy. I still can't believe that this is being done for me," she added.
Rama is one of 49 people who have so far benefited from the Home Upgrades Program.
It was started by the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, an environmental charity, and Kambo Energy Group, an equity-based social enterprise.
They raised $2 million with the help of private and government sponsors, including the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, Enmax, the Alberta Real Estate Foundation and the Calgary Foundation.
The goal is to retrofit 200 homes in Calgary and Edmonton.
Potential upgrades include draft-proofing homes and installing energy-efficient furnaces, windows, LED lights and insulation.
200 people in Calgary and Edmonton will receive free energy efficiency upgrades, such as a new furnace, through the charitable program. (Mike Symington/CBC)
The program is aimed at tackling energy poverty and climate change at the same time.
"Most programming is geared toward households that are more affluent or have more resources and we need programs that can help low-income individuals upgrade their homes, reduce their emissions and be a part of the solutions that we are trying to achieve as a society," said Rod Ruff of the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation.
Since launching a couple of months ago, the program has had an immense amount of interest. They've received 700 applications but expect to filter through even more before they're finished.
Despite the high interest, they're encouraging anyone who thinks they may qualify to apply.
"We're looking for homes that are old and we can actually make a difference in their home with these upgrades, and we're looking for people who wouldn't be able to do these upgrades by themselves — so we have had 700 applicants, not all of them qualify," said Yasmin Abraham of Kambo Energy Group.
People can apply online to see if they qualify at www.homeupgradesprogram.ca.
Ruff said they plan to use the success of this program to try to obtain even more private and government sponsorships down the road in order to take this program provincewide.
"When you work on environmental or climate issues like I do, often the human element is missing … so to see such an immediate impact in another human being's life and improving their quality of life is really, really rewarding," said Ruff.
