Bridgewater wants to lift people out of energy poverty, but helping renters is a struggle
McGill University study estimated 38 per cent of town spending big chunk of income on energy
A program aimed at lifting at least 350 households in Bridgewater, N.S., out of energy poverty is having trouble reaching some of the people who are struggling the most to pay for heat and power, putting its long-held goal at risk.
The South Shore town is working to cut the number of its residents in energy poverty in half by 2030. Its efforts were bolstered by a $5-million federal grant in 2019.
So far, however, the Energize Bridgewater project has been unable to overcome what its director calls a “big gap” created by rental housing and landlords who are downloading the rising cost of energy onto tenants.
“We’re not able to help a large portion of the people who are experiencing energy poverty at this point, and we’re still trying to find solutions to that,” said Jessica McDonald.
A 2022 study by researchers at McGill University found 38 per cent of Bridgewater residents are facing energy poverty, which means they are spending more than six per cent of their household income on home energy expenses. The town had a population of 8,790 as of 2021. …[Continue Reading]