THIS EPISODE: Ending Energy Poverty
Many people across the country struggle to make ends meet. In many cases, that means they experience energy poverty: they can’t afford to use energy when they need to, if at all. At the same time, we are trying to address climate change and become more resilient. What if we could address both concerns at the same time?
Energize Bridgewater was the winner of the 2019 Smart Cities Challenge. The program aims to identify where energy inefficiencies are in homes and find solutions to improve that efficiency, making the Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, better prepared for our changing climate, and helping vulnerable residents who experience energy poverty and struggle to afford power.
We talk to Bridgewater’s Senior Energy Manager Asad Hussein and planner Meghan Doucette about the success of the program, and its future goals. As Asad explains:
There is a lack of recognition and consideration of energy poverty… at the provincial level, at the federal level. So this initiative is very important, with this understanding we could wider spread better understanding, and then we can come up with a better response.
Listen to the episode to hear more about Energize Bridgewater.
The Future Fix is a partnership between Spacing and Evergreen for the Community Solutions Network. As the program lead, Evergreen is working with Open North to help communities of all sizes across Canada navigate the smart cities landscape. The Community Solutions Network is supported with funding provided by the Government of Canada.
