Edmonton makes clean energy retrofit program permanent

An aerial photo of downtown Edmonton and the North Saskatchewan River valley taken over the Cloverdale neighbourhood on Oct. 8, 2024. (Cam Wiebe / CTV News Edmonton)

A program providing financing for clean energy retrofits will open permanently to Edmontonians on Oct. 17.

Initially funded for four years with $20 million from the province, the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) will finance projects like installing solar photovoltaic systems, upgrading insulation, and improving heating and cooling systems in commercial and residential properties.

That is enough for about 300 residential projects and 16 commercial projects, city administration estimates.

Property owners pay the financed amount back through their taxes over a period of up to 20 years.

On Friday during a press conference about the program's launch, officials and the administrator of other such programs around the province, Alberta Municipalities, touted CEIP as innovative, accessible and important to the city's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

"This program is essential because it allows us to reduce emissions, which do pose an existential threat to our way of life and being because of climate change. It also helps us create jobs, create prosperity, which means that we're able to generate more tax revenue," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.

Residential and commercial CEIP pilots were run in 2022. After reaching capacity in 2022, the residential stream was launched again in 2023. By October 2023, 95 residential projects had been approved, and 21 completed, with the average cost of $35,400.

The program's launch is expected to cost the city $1.8 million and then about $600,000 each year.

Additionally, the city will also have to pay an annual $400,000 program administration fee to Alberta Municipalities.

These expenses were included in the 2023-2026 operating budget.

More information about the program and application process is available online. The city will also be hosting information webinars.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk