Bringing It Home
Enabling Energy Efficiency - Now and for Future Generations
Bringing It Home is a national initiative that fosters community-centred ‘Healthy Energy Living’ enabling environments that engrain energy efficiency for new and retrofitted homes and facilities. This enabling environment focuses on strengthening capacity across six key domains: Governance & Leadership, Asset Management, Maintenance, Skills, Design & Construction, and Financing.
Check out ICE’s Energy Foundations report, a detailed national report on energy efficiency and housing in Indigenous communities.
Bringing It Home supports Indigenous, community-scale energy efficiency projects through planning and implementation. By guiding this important energy efficiency work, capacity can be fostered as communities gain key skills, training, and knowledge across the enabling environment. With strengthened capacity, Indigenous communities can leverage the synergy between clean energy and sustainable investment to ensure that homes:
- a)last longer
- b)are more durable and healthy
- c)are cheaper to operate over the short and longer-term
Tools and Resources
Bringing It Home is developing and compiling tools, resources, national financing solutions, and hands-on training to foster enabling environments, and support Indigenous communities in the implementation and advancement of energy efficiency projects.
Case Studies
Real-world examples highlighting best practices and lessons learned from Indigenous communities efficiency work across Canada.
Kohkom’s House
A show that takes us into an elder’s home to discuss healthy energy living and efficiency.
Resource Library
An online space to house all relevant resources on promising practices, tools, and guidance to assist in rooting energy efficiency.
Guide Communities
The initiative is currently working with five Guide Communities to support the work, demonstrate how the enabling environment works in practice, and share their learnings with other Indigenous communities across Canada.
The Guide Communities include: Heiltsuk First Nation (BC), Fishing Lake Métis Settlement (AB), Île-à-la-Crosse (SK), Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek (ON), and Red Rock Indian Band (ON).
Each Guide Community will develop their own strategic action plan for building their capacity across the enabling environment. Specific actions will vary by community but may include:
- Community engagement & employment
- Developing locally relevant high-performance building standards
- Training for community construction teams
- Home occupant education and support
- Implementing an asset management and maintenance plan
Guide Communities will become mentors for other Indigenous communities looking to engrain energy efficiency in their housing and infrastructure efforts
Bringing It Home Contributors and Collaborators
