Energy Equity

In 2025 and 2026, the City of Guelph is developing an “Energy Equity” action plan. Energy equity is about making sure everyone can adequately heat and cool their homes — no matter who they are or where they live in Guelph. The City will be working with the Guelph Lab, researchers, residents, community organizations, and utility companies to develop this action plan.

How can people get involved?

The “Energy Equity” plan of action will be stronger if it is shaped by the knowledge and experience of people in this community. This includes community organizations, government agencies, utility companies and community members, especially those with lived experience of energy inequity.

Join A Working Group

We want to learn from people who live in Guelph and know what it’s like to face tough choices about energy — like whether to keep the heat on or put food on the table. A group of people who live in Guelph and understand these tough choices will meet three times in fall 2025 and early 2026 to share their thoughts and ideas for how to ensure everyone in Guelph can access enough energy.

Apply Online

Individuals living in Guelph can apply to participate in the working group via this online form, or by contacting the project team below.

What will the Working Group do?

You’ll have a chance to share your experiences, thoughts and ideas at 3 group meetings over fall 2025 and early 2026. The meetings will be run by researchers from the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph. What you share during these meetings will help shape programs, policies and funding that make energy more affordable and fairer in Guelph.

Who will be part of the Working Group?

We want to learn from people who live in Guelph and know what it’s like to face tough choices about energy — like whether to keep the heat on or put food on the table.

If heating and cooling your home has been a challenge in your life, you have something important to share and we want to hear from you.

Want to know more?

Read this document to learn more about the working group.

Join a Coalition of Organizations and Businesses

Addressing energy inequity also requires a coordinated, cross-sector response. It is linked to a broad range of challenges, including poverty, energy affordability, sustainability and household energy efficiency, and homelessness. Recognizing the existing and ongoing efforts of energy providers, community organizations and other levels of government to address these challenges, the project team is looking for potential collaborators.

Collaborators will:

1) work to better understand energy inequity in Guelph and determine its impacts, and

2) develop a shared set of actions to improve long-term energy affordability and reduce energy vulnerability for Guelph’s equity-deserving communities.

Organizations that would like to participate in the coalition can contact us using the information below.

Attend Public Events

We will be attending public events in January 2026 to gather feedback from residents. We will share highlights from the initial work of the working group and coalition at these events, and invite people to help prioritize our emerging ideas for how we can build energy equity in Guelph.

Email us to be notified about these events guelphenergy@uoguelph.ca

Why are we doing this?

Best current estimates suggest 20 per cent of households in Guelph may struggle to heat and cool their homes and power their lights and appliances (Efficiency Canada, 2016). This puts a financial strain on households and affects people’s health. Climate change will only increase these challenges because we’ll experience more extremely hot and extremely cold days.

Not everyone has the same resources to deal with these challenges though. This is known as “energy inequity”. Things like whether you rent or own, how much you earn or the age and the condition of your home all shape your access to energy. Newcomers to Canada, seniors, renters, single parent households, and people with disabilities are also more likely to experience challenges accessing enough energy.

The City of Guelph is committed to taking action on climate change and to creating more affordable and equitable access to energy. (See Guelph's Strategic Plan and commitment to the Global Convenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy). This project is an opportunity to review existing energy programs (e.g., Guelph Greener Homes), and explore potential new policies, programs and services.

About the Research

The research team will support the working group and the coalition by providing useful data about energy equity in Guelph. We will be gathering quantitative data on energy use and spending, interviewing people to get different perspectives on the challenges and potential solutions, and reviewing policies and programs being implemented in other cities.

Who is working on this project?

This project is a partnership between the University of Guelph, University of Toronto, the Guelph Lab, and the City of Guelph’s Climate Change Office.

The research team includes: Dr. Derya Tarhan, Assistant Professor, UofG (Co-Principal Investigator); Dr. Laura Tozer, Assistant Professor, UofT (Co-Principal Investigator); Dr. Craig Johnson, Professor, UofG (Advisor); Adam Bonnycastle, GIS Specialist, UofG; Sam Laban, Facilitator, the Guelph Lab.

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