Chad Walker, Ph.D.

Research - Teaching - Impact

Incentivizing landlord engagement in a clean energy transition in Nova Scotia, Canada: A case study of Energize Bridgewater


Journal article


Claire Calderwood, Chad Walker, Jeffrey Biggar
Journal of Green Building, vol. 19(4), 2024

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APA   Click to copy
Calderwood, C., Walker, C., & Biggar, J. (2024). Incentivizing landlord engagement in a clean energy transition in Nova Scotia, Canada: A case study of Energize Bridgewater. Journal of Green Building, 19(4).


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Calderwood, Claire, Chad Walker, and Jeffrey Biggar. “Incentivizing Landlord Engagement in a Clean Energy Transition in Nova Scotia, Canada: A Case Study of Energize Bridgewater.” Journal of Green Building 19, no. 4 (2024).


MLA   Click to copy
Calderwood, Claire, et al. “Incentivizing Landlord Engagement in a Clean Energy Transition in Nova Scotia, Canada: A Case Study of Energize Bridgewater.” Journal of Green Building, vol. 19, no. 4, 2024.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{claire2024a,
  title = {Incentivizing landlord engagement in a clean energy transition in Nova Scotia, Canada: A case study of Energize Bridgewater},
  year = {2024},
  issue = {4},
  journal = {Journal of Green Building},
  volume = {19},
  author = {Calderwood, Claire and Walker, Chad and Biggar, Jeffrey}
}

Abstract

Split incentives, in which the costs and benefits of energy efficiency upgrades are
unevenly felt between landlords and tenants, are a powerful barrier that prevents retrofits from taking place. The problem is clearly playing out across the low-income, and inefficient homes of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada, where
greenhouse emissions are high, and a large proportion of residents are burdened by energy poverty. To help solve the problem and facilitate home energy efficiency renovations, a project called Energize Bridgewater was developed. Guided by 10 semi-structured interviews with Energize Bridgewater team members (n=4) and property managers (n=6), we present a case study which sought to contextualize and better understand how Energize Bridgewater may incentivize owners of rental houses to participate in this clean energy transition. Our results focus on three main findings: i) the reality of the split incentive problem in Bridgewater; ii) barriersto landlord engagement; and iii) reactions to proposed programming. We close this paper with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of our work, including a set of recommendations for Energize Bridgewater and similar projects facing the split incentive problem while working toward a clean and cost-effective energy transition.