Bridgewater wants to lift people out of energy poverty, but helping renters is a struggle

A program aimed at lifting at least 350 households in Bridgewater, N.S., out of energy povertyis having trouble reaching some of the people who are struggling the most to pay for heat and power, puttingits long-held goal at risk.

The SouthShore town is working to cut the number of its residents in energy poverty in half by 2030. Its efforts were bolstered by a$5-million federal grantin 2019.

So far, however, theEnergize Bridgewaterprojecthas been unable to overcome what its director calls a "big gap" created by rental housing andlandlords who are downloading the rising cost of energy onto tenants.

"We're not able to help a large portion of the people who are experiencing energy poverty at this point, and we're still trying to find solutions to that," saidJessica McDonald.

A 2022 study by researchers atMcGillUniversity found 38 per cent ofBridgewaterresidents are facing energy poverty, which means they are spending more than six per cent of their household income on home energy expenses. The town had a population of 8,790 as of 2021.

Rising cost of energy

McDonald said EnergizeBridgewater'sprogram targets property owners byoffering low-interest loans for upgrades like insulation, installing heat pumps, or draft-proofing, forexample.

About six apartment buildings with a total of 67 units have taken part, making energy efficiency upgrades and agreeing to keep rents low. Thatpart of the program is funded by Efficiency Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Powerand the province.

However, some other property owners in Bridgewaterare drawingup leases fornew tenants that don't includeheat, power, or other utilities in the cost ofrent.

McDonald said this hasoften been the case among new owners who boughtrental properties during theCOVID-19 pandemic.

"They might keep the rent the same, but they were adding the cost of heat and power onto the tenants," said McDonald."Then with the rising cost of energy, that cost is even more than it might have been a few years back."

McDonald said until this month,the town thought it would be able to expand thefinancing program toincentivizemore landlords to make energy-efficient repairs. However, itjust learned some of its funding comes with restrictions that won't allow the town to make these types of loans, meaning Energize Bridgewater could fall short of its target.

Detailed study of the town

The townhas been tracking the success ofthe Energize Bridgewater project through McGill University'sresearch, which is examining the impact of energy poverty on the lives ofresidents.

"It's the first study that takes a really deep dive in energy poverty in onecommunity in Canada," saidMylneRiva, an associate professor in the geographydepartment and the Canada Research Chair in Housing, Community and Health.

So far, the programhas given low-cost loans to 116 homeowners to make efficiency upgrades. According to the town's data, this has reduced those homes' energy costs by about $1,000 a yearon average.

It has also provided funds through the South Shores Open Doors Association to help about 600 households, many of which are in arrears on their power bills.

Of the 516 peopleMcGillsurveyed for its 2022study, it found that eight per cent spent a winter in dwellings so cold "that they could see their breath inside," said Riva.

LaurianneDebann, aPhDstudent on Riva's team, conducted interviews with almost 40Bridgewaterresidents last September to learn how they were coping with the issue.

Many residents said they were juggling housing, transportation, eating, and heating or cooling. Some said they'd tried to do "makeshift renovations" to their homes.

"So having blankets on windows and sleeping in the same bed as kids to keep warm,"Debannsaid. She added many interviewees reported "a lot of stress, a lot of despair."

"A lot of parents with children that were really worried about their kids or even feeling inadequate as parents because they can't provide a warm or cool enough home for their kids," she said.

On Sept.26, there will be a public event to showcase the findings byMcGill, the town, and the South Shores Open Doors Association.

"You just see that there's a lot of really deep hardships that households are experiencing,"Debannsaid. "I think in a way [the event] is just showing them that we see what's going on and we're trying to bring attention to that."

In the meantime, McDonald said town staff are trying to figure out how to make the financing work for more property owners, and wantto find a way to convince landlords to make thecapital upgrades to their buildings that will reduce energy costs for the tenants.

"It's also an investment in their tenants who are occupying their properties," she said.

TheMcGillteam will return toBridgewaternext year to update their research.

Bridgewateris far from the only Nova Scotia community coping with energy poverty.

According toa December2023 studyby Efficiency One, a not-for-profit related to Efficiency Nova Scotia, the community ofEskasoniin Cape Breton had as many as 87 per centof its households in energy poverty, followed by Dominion at 68 per centand New Waterford at 67 per cent.