The Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF) and the City of Vancouver's Sustainability Group have jointly created a pilot grant to help older houses, including pre-1940s homes not on the Vancouver Heritage Register, implement energy improvements.
The foundation said the grant is intended to help retain character and heritage homes while contributing to the City’s greenhouse gas reduction targets as part of the Greenest City Action Plan.
The grant will offer up to $3,000 per house for retrofits that deliver “measurable reductions in greenhouse gases”.
The foundation added that the initiative intends to help reduce energy use and running costs in ways “compatible with the conservation of heritage fabric and character elements”.
The pilot will run for one year starting in September 2015 and will be able to assist up to 20 homes. Qualifying retrofits include insulation, air sealing, window repairs and storm windows, and high efficiency forms of heating and hot water. Houses must either be on the Vancouver Heritage Register or built in Vancouver before 1940 and only houses with primarily oil or gas heating are eligible as these offer the largest GHG reduction opportunities.
Kathryn Morrow of the VHF told REW.ca, “The plan at this point is to run the grant for the first year (until August 31, 2016). We do hope to make it a permanent addition to our other grants. VHF and the City will converse about the next steps after the conclusion of the pilot year to see if it was successful or needs to be tweaked.”
For more information and to apply, click here.
