A Research Junction project between the City of Saskatoon and the University of Saskatchewan is looking at energy efficiency programming for low-income renters and landlords. Faculty lecturer in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Dr. Martin Boucher, explains that most climate and energy efficiency programs are too pricey for low and moderate-income residents, including Saskatoon’s homeowner-based loan program for retrofits. Boucher says, ” That’s a problem because low-income folks are often disproportionately impacted by things like increased energy costs, which is some of the implications of really moving forward with climate change policies and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

What his research team hopes to do is look at the baseline data for energy use in Saskatoon to figure out how much energy is being used by lower income residents.
They will also interview low-income housing landlords and renters to understand their needs and challenges. This research will inform the development of a low-income rental housing energy efficiency plan for Saskatoon. Boucher says the City is in the pre-development phase of a program to retrofit multi-unit homes that could support low-income renters.