Clone of Enabling residential retrofits to achieve net-zero goals: Peterborough, ON launches Home Energy Efficiency Program

CEF’s capacity for innovation is reflected in the design of the City of Peterborough’s Home Energy Efficiency Program (HEEP), which launched in February 2024 with $5.75 million in CEF funding. HEEP is testing a first-of-its-kind blend of PACE financing with private capital, enabling building owners to select the funding model that best meets their needs. The City intends to leverage more than $5 million in private capital to support both streams of funding. The program is built on an integrated service model that includes a comprehensive, one-stop web portal and energy coaching service to guide owners through their retrofit journey.   

When it updated its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in 2019, Peterborough determined that homes accounted for 39 percent of the total, making energy retrofits an integral part of the local effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. HEEP focuses on low-rise residential buildings, both owner-occupied and rental, with loans of up to $125,000 or 10 percent of building value and an incentive structure that rewards higher emission reductions. The program design supports households with low-incomes through an equity lens by limiting enrolment to landlords who sign a no-renoviction commitment. 

The private funding stream offers financing as low as $1,000, while the PACE support starts at $15,000. Loans are repaid over a 20-year period, with no penalty for early repayment under the PACE stream, and participants can apply for a second project as long as their total funding doesn’t exceed the program maximum.