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Home Energy Retrofit Financing Program Bylaw 2025 No. 7393

Climate Resilient Community Low Emissions Buildings City Council consideration on Apr 17, 2025

Background

This bylaw gave the City of Nanaimo the regulatory authority to finance home energy retrofits, offering up to $15,000 in zero-interest financing amortized over a 10-year term via property taxes. This means that an interest-free loan for home energy upgrades can be tied to the property, so that if the owner sells the house shortly after doing the upgrades, the new owner will take over the payments via their property tax bill. Projects include electric heat pumps, solar panel systems or insulation. This program removes one of the barriers preventing homeowners from upgrading their homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience.