The Energy InSites program offers support to Indigenous communities to find and secure funding to modernize community buildings. The program team conducts energy assessments on community buildings to understand the community’s energy consumption and emission profile, identifies retrofit opportunities, and assists in the funding identification and application process.
Approved communities receive a range of community engagement, capacity building, educational, and technical support services related to commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit residential buildings.
Who can participate?
First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Territories are eligible to apply for the Energy InSites program.
How much does the program cost?
The Energy InSites program is fully funded for approved communities, and services provided under the program are delivered at no cost.
What support does the program provide to approved communities?
CIER has partnered with The LEAP Group to offer the following consulting services:
- Conduct Energy Efficiency Assessments
- Identify Deep Retrofit Opportunities
- Identify Renewable Energy Opportunities
- Support Funding Research and Applications
- Support Project Planning Activities
What are the benefits for approved communities?
- Receive funding to hire a part-time “Energy Champion” from the community to support the program.
- Conduct energy assessments on commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit residential community buildings.
- Receive support securing funding to modernize community buildings through deep retrofit projects.
- Participate in various community engagement, educational and capacity building activities.
- Collaborate in virtual learning circles to network and share knowledge.
What are the expectations from approved communities?
- Appoint or hire an Energy Champion to support program activities.
- Provide the CIER and LEAP teams access to community buildings to conduct energy assessments.
- Provide access to information required to support energy assessments (e.g., historical energy consumption information).
What are the program deliverables?
- Conduct energy assessments on community buildings.
- Complete energy assessment and retrofit opportunity reports to support funding applications.
- Collaborate to identify funding opportunities.
- Draft and submit funding applications.
- Develop capacity-building activities to increase community understanding of energy consumption and emissions.
- Train and familiarize community members with energy assessments, deep retrofit opportunities, and network opportunities within the community and with other communities.
What are the program’s steps?
There are four distinct steps in the program:
- Community Orientation
- Energy Profiling
- Deep Planning
- Funding Research & Applications
What are the anticipated program timelines?
The anticipated program duration is approximately one year from community orientation to completion of program deliverables.
Support is available through the program until March 31, 2027. Interested communities are encouraged to apply by December 31, 2025 to allow enough time for program completion by the March 31, 2027 program closing date.
