New Dawn partners with Clean Foundation to increase apartment efficiency
New Dawn tenants will save money on their electricity bills while reducing our collective carbon footprint through efficiency upgrades.
More affordable housing in Sydney
Throughout the months of October and November, 76 of New Dawn’s electrically-heated apartments will get substantial HomeWarming energy efficiency upgrades thanks to a new partnership between New Dawn and the Clean Foundation.
HomeWarming is a program that helps lower-income homeowners in Nova Scotia save money on heating bills, feel more comfortable year-round, and reduce their carbon footprint. Energy efficiency upgrades range from insulation and draft-proofing to heat pumps and energy-saving lightbulbs.
Clean Foundation and Efficiency Nova Scotia offer various energy efficiency improvements: Clean looks after electrically heated homes, while Efficiency takes care of homes with non-electric heat sources. The program offers no-cost retrofits thanks to support from Nova Scotia Power and the Government of Nova Scotia.
While HomeWarming is only for Nova Scotian homeowners and not renters, New Dawn is in a unique position as a ground-breaking community organization offering, among other things, affordable housing in Sydney. That’s why Nova Scotia Power is offering $375,000 towards this pilot project and the Clean Foundation will coordinate the retrofits.
A typical house loses 45 percent of its heat through the walls, floors and roof. Upgrades like improving insulation and draft-proofing can help keep a home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
“We’re delighted to work with New Dawn, the oldest Community Development Corporation in Canada,” says Scott Skinner, Executive Director of Clean Foundation. “New Dawn’s residents in the units will save money on their electricity bills and feel more comfortable. And it helps us reduce our collective carbon footprint through efficiency upgrades.”
“We are honoured to be able to partner with Clean Foundation on this pilot,” says Keith Nicholson, New Dawn Manager of Real Estate. “The cost of heat to our tenants is one of the greatest challenges we grapple with as landlords. Utilities are unquestionably their greatest monthly expense and are increasingly unaffordable for those on limited or fixed incomes. These retrofits mean significant savings directly to our tenants. This means that their homes and their bills will continue to be affordable into the future.”
