Corey Diamond, executive director of Efficiency Canada at Carleton University, took part in a $10-million announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today to support energy efficiency in Canada’s residential sector.
The funds will be used to recruit and train approximately 2,000 energy advisers across Canada, with a focus on under-represented and marginalized groups. They will work with homeowners to identify how to best reduce energy-related costs and emissions.
In the coming weeks, the federal government will launch a program to help retrofit up to 700,000 homes, providing energy audits and grants for homeowners.
“To make these renovations happen, we need workers who can install windows, heating and cooling experts, electricians and insulation specialists,” said Trudeau. “But before any of that work gets going on your house, you need an energy advisor who can tell you where you are losing heat in the winter or why your house is getting too hot in the summer, so you can plan what makes the most sense to invest in.”
Said Diamond: “With a continued investment in developing the workforce required to retrofit every building in this country over the next three decades, we can bring thousands more people into the fold.
“We can inspire people to think of energy efficiency as a safe landing place to pursue a purposeful and meaningful career and we can begin the process of transforming our buildings into a major contributor of greenhouse gas emission reductions.”
Efficiency Canada, a unique national organization based at Carleton, brings together a diverse array of allies—from academic researchers and private-sector businesses to utilities and governments—to advocate for public policies that move us toward a more energy-efficient future.
Environmentalism and sustainable technology are a cornerstone of the important research taking place at Carleton. Efficiency Canada has ties to both Carleton’s Faculty of Engineering and Design and the Faculty of Public Affairs. Carleton researchers are doing groundbreaking work on energy efficiency in numerous areas, including policy, regulations, engineering and business.