Video: Saskatoon delivers Saskatchewan’s first local home-energy financing program

Local financing programs – like Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) or utility on-bill financing – offer accessible capital to homeowners to help address the high cost of energy upgrades and other barriers that limit uptake for home energy projects. Learn how the City of Saskatoon, SK, designed a program, from initial concept through program launch, that will help residents retrofit their homes and reduce GHG emissions.

The City’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) is the first program of its kind in the province. It provides homeowners with loans for energy and non-energy upgrades, like replacing doors or windows, upgrading heat pumps, or installing low-flow water fixtures. HELP also offers resources and other supports for the renovation process, including a pre-vetted contractor list and reduced fees for low-income households.

In this video, Hilary Carlson, GHG Controls Specialist at the City of Saskatoon, outlines the City’s program design and discusses key challenges and successes in getting the program off the ground.

What you’ll learn from this video:

• High-level steps to designing and implementing a home-energy upgrade financing program using the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) model
• Key successes and challenges when getting started
• Resources available to support a similar project in your municipality

Read the transcript

More resources to help you develop a similar project:

• Learn more about funding and training resources from our Community Efficiency Financing initiative
• Watch this introductory video on local home-energy financing programs
• City of Saskatoon website – Home Energy Loan Program