Guelph, Ont., June 24, 2026 – To address rising costs of living and more extreme weather events, Guelph has created its first-ever Energy Equity Action Plan. The plan supports residents who struggle to afford the energy they need and tackles underlying barriers that make it harder for residents to improve their homes.
Many households face difficult choices between keeping their home comfortable and covering other essentials. Energy equity is making sure people can access the heating, cooling and utilities needed to keep homes safe and healthy — regardless of income, housing condition or ability to make upgrades.
Guelph’s work on energy equity is part of its commitment through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, a global network of cities taking action on climate change and energy access.
“No one should have to choose between keeping their home cool and paying for other basic needs,” said City of Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.
“This plan gives us practical, community-shaped solutions to support energy equity in Guelph. Through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, we committed to act on energy poverty. Council’s unanimous vote shows we are united around the need to move this work forward.”
To make energy more affordable and address barriers like older, inefficient housing and rental constraints, the Plan identifies eight actions:
- Develop an energy coaching program
- Improve outreach (e.g. more languages, targeted outreach efforts)
- Expand home energy retrofit programs to help residents improve energy efficiency, regardless of income or housing type
- Advocate for a utility-led home energy retrofit program
- Support the adoption of the rental renovation bylaw to help preserve affordable rentals while enabling needed upgrades
- Explore a new maximum temperature bylaw to help address unsafe indoor heat in rental housing
- Track progress and report outcomes to the community and beyond
- Create tools to help City staff understand local energy use, costs and equity impacts
The Plan is a roadmap shaped by research, community knowledge, and local experience. Central to the plan were two key groups:
- The Energy Equity Coalition, comprised of representatives from 11 local organizations
- The Energy Equity Working Group, made up of nine residents with lived experience
These groups worked with a project team — led by the City of Guelph’s Energy and Climate division, the Guelph Lab, and researchers from the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto — to create an action plan together.
Some actions are already underway, with the formal adoption of a rental renovation bylaw on June 23 to help preserve the number of affordable rentals and strengthen renter protections.
To learn more, you can read the Guelph Energy Equity Action Plan on guelph.ca.
Quick facts
- About 4,550 homeowners in Guelph struggle with high energy costs.
- More than 12,000 renter households struggle to meet basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing and education — increasing their risk of energy insecurity.
Quotes
“Climate change affects everyone in Guelph, but not everyone is impacted in the same way. This plan was developed with the community, for the community, and it reflects what people are experiencing in their homes. We learned together what will help most, and now we’re focused on delivering practical solutions.” – Bryan Ho-Yan, Manager of Energy and Climate Change, City of Guelph, and report co-author
“We had a very active and collaborative team that brought together academic researchers, municipal staff, community organizations and residents. That mix of perspectives was one of the project’s biggest strengths because everyone brought different expertise to the table.” – Laura Tozer, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical and Environmental Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
“The action plan is built on the expertise of Guelph residents. They helped us to understand energy inequity in Guelph, and played a critical role in planning actions that address it. Combining participatory policy making with research like this is an important way that we can directly impact physical and mental well-being for our communities.” – Dr. Derya Tarhan, University of Guelph
“The Energy Equity Action Plan is a great example of what is possible when teams come together from the public sector, academia and community to solve complex policy challenges. This is at the heart of Guelph Lab’s work: connecting people, ideas and expertise around big-picture policy challenges. We’re grateful for the collaboration that made this work possible and look forward to seeing the plan move into action.” – Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, Co-director of Guelph Lab and Director of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute at the University of Guelph
“Collective action makes meaningful change possible. Our collaborative was proud to be a part of the Energy Equity Coalition, working alongside researchers, City staff, organizations, and community members with lived experience of energy poverty. Bringing these perspectives together helped connect data and organizational insights to the real challenges people face every day. This action plan is a meaningful move toward addressing the root causes of energy poverty and reducing barriers for households with the lowest incomes and highest energy burdens in Guelph.”– Dominica McPherson, Guelph & Wellington Poverty Elimination Collaborative, Energy Equity Coalition representative
“This is a strong and thoughtful plan, and I’m glad to see energy equity being taken seriously in Guelph. What stands out to me is the focus on community-based support, especially energy coaching, because many people need help finding and navigating programs that can feel confusing or out of reach. As this moves forward, I hope it continues to be grounded in real-life experiences and delivered with care, connection and trauma-informed support so people feel safe, understood, and not judged.” – Zera Koutchieva, Energy Equity Community Working Group member
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