Maple Ridge to help residents retrofit homes through new climate pilot

Maple Ridge council has unanimously approved a two-year pilot program aimed at helping homeowners make their homes more energy efficient, climate resilient and better prepared for extreme heat.

Council voted June 9 to allocate up to $190,000 from existing provincial climate grant funding to launch the Residential Resiliency Energy Retrofit Pilot Program, a key initiative under the city’s Resilient Future 2050 climate action plan.

Coun. Sunny Schiller said the project is the result of years of climate-related work by council and community volunteers.

“This is really a continuation of the climate work that the city has been engaged on since day one of this term,” Schiller said, pointing to the inclusion of climate action in council’s strategic plan, a climate summit and the Mayor’s Taskforce on Climate Action.

The pilot is designed to help residents assess and upgrade older homes through measures such as improved insulation, air sealing, energy-efficient windows and heat pumps. The city will hire a third-party service provider to conduct home energy assessments, guide homeowners through retrofit options and connect them with provincial and federal rebate programs.

The initiative will also include training opportunities for local contractors and tradespeople to build capacity for energy retrofit work in Maple Ridge. Training will be delivered through organizations including the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Thermal Environmental Comfort Association and the Home Performance Stakeholder Council.

Schiller said the pilot targets one of the city’s largest sources of emissions: existing buildings.

“I love this type of climate action. I think it’s about big impacts, and it’s about engaging our residents. It’s about helping them understand how their homes use energy, how their homes can be made more comfortable and more livable through this type of work,” she said.

She added that with economic uncertainty and housing affordability challenges, more residents may be interested in preserving and improving their existing homes rather than moving.

Schiller also praised the inclusion of local trades training, saying it will help create momentum for the retrofit sector beyond the life of the pilot.

“Let’s jump start something that might not otherwise be happening, engage our residents in learning, and I really appreciate the focus that we’ve included in this project around training local companies and ensuring that they have the skills to participate in this work,” she said.

Mayor Dan Ruimy noted the program is being funded entirely through provincial grant money, through the Local Government Climate Action Program grant.

“It’s no hit to our taxpayers. It’s from a provincial government program, so it’s always good to have help as we execute these types of climate action initiatives,” he said.

According to the staff report, the program could support up to 100 home energy assessments over the two-year pilot, with annual reporting to council tracking participation, retrofit projects, greenhouse gas reductions, energy savings and resident satisfaction.

The city intends to focus on older single-detached homes, which account for 26.5 percent of Maple Ridge’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Staff say retrofits can help reduce emissions while improving indoor comfort and reducing risks associated with extreme heat events.

The pilot was first discussed during a council workshop in March, where staff recommended a targeted program focused on neighbourhoods and residents most vulnerable to overheating and climate-related health impacts.