Nova Scotia has allocated $1 million over two years to help subsidize electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in multifamily apartment and condominium buildings. Few details are yet available on the initiative, which was announced yesterday as part of a $9 million outlay from funds collected through the province’s cap-and-trade program earnings for 2021-22.
“Nova Scotia is committed to having 80 per cent of our electricity needs filled by renewable energy by 2030. We’re pleased to see programs that help with things like upgrading buildings to become more energy efficient, reducing energy bills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Tony Rushton, the provincial Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables.
In total, six projects will receive the last installment of nearly $45 million in cap-and-trade revenues raised in the fiscal year. Also of potential interest to the multifamily sector, $1.5 million over three years will be directed to a pilot program to support replacement of oil-based heating systems with electric-based alternatives.
Facilities managers with registered not-for-profit organizations, such as churches or foodbanks, will also be eligible for the rebates for solar installations similar to those already available for homeowners. $1.5 million will be available over two years.
Efficiency One, the not-for-profit coordinator and delivery agent of a range of energy efficiency initiatives will deliver all three programs. Meanwhile, multifamily building managers have one final day to apply for EV charger funding made available through the federal government’s Zero Emissions Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), which has a pot of approximately $1.2 million to fund up to 250 level-2 EV chargers.
In that quest, which opened for applications in late February, they’ll have more competition. Multifamily buildings with at least three dwelling units are one of five categories for which the funds are targeted. Public venues, on-street sites, workplaces and organizations with light-duty vehicle fleets are also eligible.
