Unlocking Retrofit Value in Social Housing. A path to affordability through distributed energy resources · Best Practices in Building Systems

Title: Unlocking Retrofit Value in Social Housing. A path to affordability through distributed energy resources
Abstract: Canada’s social housing buildings are aging and becoming more expensive to operate and maintain. Current funding models cannot support the scale of required retrofits. Distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, offer social housing providers and asset managers a practical way to create new revenue streams, improving the financial viability of retrofits.

When paired with full-building upgrades, DERs can help offset retrofit costs; lower operating costs; and create healthier, more comfortable homes for tenants. Examples from Europe and Canada show that this approach has helped housing providers manage deferred maintenance and protect long-term affordability.
Contributor: Taushifa Shaikh; Kevin Lockhart
Date Submitted: 2026/02/22
Format: PDF
Type: Article
Extent: 8 pages
Language: english; en-CA
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License
Is Part Of: Energy and Thermal Systems; The Integrity Gap; Technical system threads
Description: text
Identifier: 20

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