On Monday, July 12, Charlottetown City Council voted to launch a new residential energy efficiency and renewable programming, ‘Switch Charlottetown’, aimed at addressing the climate change emergency. The Switch programs, which will also be adopted later this month by the Towns of Stratford PE and Wolfville NS as ‘Switch Stratford’ and ‘Switch Wolfville’ respectively, represent Canada’s first multi- provincial energy efficiency and renewable program operating under a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing Model.

The programs will offer residents of both Charlottetown and Stratford a simple, cost effective path to implementing residential energy efficiency and renewable projects. Switch participants are offered 0% financing fixed up to 15 years with no upfront costs. The municipality will pay the contractor, with the homeowner paying back the loan from their anticipated energy savings. The Switch programs will finance a range of energy efficient products including heat pumps, solar systems, insulation, and more.

“As Chair of the Sustainability committee, I am excited to see the Switch Program go live in Charlottetown. This program will offer residents of our city additional services, opportunities and funding options to make the change to more sustainable technologies, which in turn will help us meet our carbon reduction targets in the years to come. This is a great step towards a cleaner, more efficient Charlottetown”, said Councillor Mitchell Tweel, chair of Charlottetown’s Environment and Sustainability committee.

The Switch programs are supported by $14.1 million in funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which was announced in May 2021.

“The City of Charlottetown is committed to doing our part to reduce our carbon footprint, and the Switch Charlottetown program will be another tool in our belt in the fight against climate change. Helping residents make the switch to sustainable home improvements will continue to be an important factor in our efforts to protect our city and our environment now and into the future.” said Mayor of Charlottetown, Philip Brown.

“In anticipation of the Town of Stratford launching our Switch Stratford program later this week, much work has been done to get us to this point,” added Mayor of Stratford, Steve Ogden. “The program in Stratford is ready to be officially released on Thursday, following anticipated approval at our council meeting, and then it will be up to residents to take interest in this program for their own property, their own savings and the overall betterment of our community.”

The programs also include an energy coach who will guide homeowners through the entire upgrade process including home energy assessments, project selection, and access to up-to-date rebates and incentives available through existing Provincial and Federal programs.

“We look forward to watching the uptake from our community,” said Councillor Darren MacDougall, chair of Stratford’s Sustainability Committee. “This program will provide an opportunity particularly to those residents which may not otherwise have been able to afford these types of upgrades in the past when a zero interest loan wasn’t an option. We hope that residents will take a serious look at this program in the coming days and explore options for their property.”

Both programs will officially launch on Thursday, July 15th however interested homeowners can contact the Switch program directly by phone at (782) 377-4161 or by visiting www.switchcharlottetown.ca or www.switchstratford.ca now to learn more. There will also be a virtual information session held on Monday, July 26th at 6:30pm for residents of both Charlottetown and Stratford to learn more. Registration information can be found on respective municipal social media channels beginning on Thursday, July 15th.

The Town of Stratford program is expected to be approved on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at their next monthly council meeting.

Media contacts:

Isaac MacDonald Communications Officer
City of Charlottetown 902-629-4102 [email protected]

Wendy Watts
Community and Business Engagement Manager Town of Stratford
902-569-6921
[email protected]