Affordable multifamily housing pilot brings comfort to renters
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia – A new pilot program is helping improve Nova Scotia’s rental housing stock by lowering energy costs, increasing tenant comfort and affordability. Efficiency Nova Scotia’s Affordable Multifamily Housing pilot aims to help 10 property owners complete energy efficient upgrades to further reduce electrical consumption and achieve targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Energy efficiency provides a critical solution to Nova Scotia’s housing affordability concerns as well as our environmental goals,” says Monica MacLean, spokesperson with Efficiency Nova Scotia. “Students, seniors and families living in multifamily rental housing deserve to enjoy the same level of comfort and lower household costs. One way we can do that is to help property owners offset cost pressures due to outdated equipment and rising power demand.”
Efficiency Nova Scotia consulted with several stakeholders to develop the Affordable Multifamily Housing pilot as a custom solution to address Nova Scotia’s affordable housing concerns. Successful applicants are carefully screened to ensure they meet qualifying rental thresholds for their area.
Adsum for Women & Children applied for the Affordable Multifamily Housing pilot to make improvements to a 24-unit apartment building on Victoria Road in Dartmouth. The two-storey building provides affordable housing for single women with rent capped at 30 per cent of their income. They were looking to reduce operating costs and improve comfort by installing energy efficient heat pumps.
“We’re so pleased that women who are facing many challenges, including poverty, are able to experience energy efficiency within their homes and enjoy being part of the solution to reducing energy consumption and cost,” says Sheri Lecker, Executive Director of Adsum for Women & Children. The money saved by our organization, which is the landlord in this case, will go directly into programming and other improvements to our property in Dartmouth.”
Qualifying applicants receive a comprehensive energy audit and custom recommendations on efficiency upgrades to their common areas and tenant spaces. They may also receive rebates of up to 80 per cent of the total project cost and interest free financing for up to 24 months.
While funding for the program is limited, qualified applicants may be waitlisted should the pilot be extended. This service is available to any registered business or charity within Nova Scotia that offers year-round housing at, or below rental cut-off rates applicable to their area. Individual residential homes do not qualify and applications are open to non-profit and for-profit rental housing, shelters, transition houses, co-operatives or government-funded affordable housing.
Efficiency Nova Scotia is operated by EfficiencyOne, an independent, non-profit organization based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Since 2010, we’ve helped more than 225,000 program participants save energy and money. Efficiency Nova Scotia is your go-to place for energy saving programs and services.
To learn more, click to watch Why Energy Efficiency?
For more information contact:
Monica MacLean
Communications Lead, Efficiency Nova Scotia
902-470-3513, mmaclean@efficiencyns.ca
Kathy McNab
Fund Development and Communications Officer
902-422-3389, kathy.mcnab@adsumforwomen.org
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