Social and Low Income Housing Energy Services

Green$aver has a long history of successful work with the social and low income housing sector. Its work, consisting of the appropriate mix of community energy education programs, staff training, energy audits and implementing energy efficiency retrofits has in the past resulted in savings of over 30% at social housing complexes throughout the GTA.

Social and low-income housing presents unique challenges, when dealing with energy efficiency. Issues of whether tenants and owner share the utility costs, different stakeholders involved in the process, expensive engineering solutions all take their toll on successful energy efficiency program implementation. Finally, existing community and property management staff are already stretched in their workload responsibilities, and tenants are not always aware of the latest energy items and programs that are available to them. That is where Green$aver has helped to make a difference for the last few years, in being the bridge between all the parties. Green$aver has worked or is currently working on social and low income housing programs with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), Social Housing Services Corporation (SCHC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and other agencies and organizations in this sector, as well as local utility companies.

In addition to working with our social housing partners in the Toronto area, Green$aver has also worked directly in delivering government energy programs to this sector. We have been involved in pilot programs with the Social Housing Services Corporation, in testing out an inspection program on two co-op complexes in downtown Toronto. When the federal government partnered their EnerGuide for Houses program with CMHC for private low-income homeowners, we provided the initial and followup inspections for those homes, while CMHC paid for the upgrades. Most recently, we have secured a contract with Ontario Power Authority to coordinate a program of home inspections and free energy upgrades to electrically-heated, income-assisted homes in the Toronto area.

Green$aver looks forward to further partnerships with other organizations, utilities, housing providers, or government agencies. Please call (416) 203-3106 x 225 or email social@greensaver.org for more information.

Case Studies - Social Housing

Case 1

Toronto Community Housing Corporation, the social housing agency of the City of Toronto, is the 2nd largest social housing provider in North America, with about 58,000 housing units. This is a mixture of low- and high-rise apartments, townhouse complexes, and individual houses, scattered throughout the city.

Green$aver has undertaken a program of energy audits of all 800 individual houses that TCHC owns, and making recommendations on improvements. Green$aver also performed the upgrade work on attic insulation, wall insulation, comprehensive draftproofing and acted as project manager, by sourcing, arranging, and monitoring other contractors for new furnaces, and windows.

Finally, Green$aver completed the follow-up inspections on all upgraded homes, to ensure work was completed properly to specification. This has been of great value to TCHC, who's staff lacked the time and the expertise to undertake and coordinate such a comprehensive and long project on energy efficiency, and enabled their staff to instead concentrate on their core competencies of operating their housing units. The Toronto Atmospheric Fund also played a key role in catalyzing this work with financial incentives.

Case 2

Green$aver also looked at a townhouse complex, where high electrical bills resulted in a high rate of tenant turnover. This complex is all electrically heated, and was built in the mid 1980's, so the buildings already have a number of energy saving features. It has a mixture of 11 different configurations of stacked townhouse units, adding to the complexity.

Green$aver visited all 110 units in this complex, analyzed their energy usage, and recommended and coordinated improvements. This included finishing off incomplete storage rooms where insulation was being damaged, proper attic airsealing, topping up attic insulation (some of which went missing during previous contractor work), upgrading some ventilation systems, draftproofing in the living areas, and even re-arranging window panes so that they fit together properly.

Education sessions on energy efficiency were held with tenants, with excellent results.

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