Regional news and analysis
Replacing heating oil and improving building performance are closely connected parts of Nova Scotia’s energy transition. This collection explores heat pumps, heating demand and the relationship between electrification and the electricity system.
Read the heating oil and heat pump analyses together with building retrofit examples. Historical prices, emissions factors and program details describe their original period and may have changed.
The new federal program aims to help up to 820,000 households switch:
Read article : Major federal funding announcement: a new National Heat Pump Program presents a big opportunity for Nova Scotia
Having a local person to help residents work through these options can make it easier to move from considering an upgrade to getting it done.
Read article : Energize Together
Seawater heat pumps and large hot-water tanks show how district heating can store renewable energy for later use.
Read article : Aalborg’s thermal storage offers lessons for Nova Scotia
Halifax Water’s district energy project is advancing the infrastructure needed to heat and cool downtown buildings.
Read article : Wastewater heat recovery moves forward at Cogswell
Vehicle sales and affordability trends connect transportation electrification with energy security and electricity-system benefits.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s EV market gains momentum
Why Atlantic Canada’s heating-oil dependence matters for affordability and energy security.
Read article : Heating oil and household exposure to volatile energy prices
Five priorities for net-metering certainty, distributed energy integration, beneficial electrification and regional collaboration.
Read article : Solar Nova Scotia’s five priorities for solar and batteries
Ireland’s experience shows why renewable generation needs to grow alongside electricity demand, flexibility and storage.
Read article : What Ireland’s renewable curtailment can teach Nova Scotia
Clean power needs somewhere to go. Beneficial electrification should be part of the province’s energy planning.
Read article : Does Nova Scotia need an electrification strategy?
A rolling registration-share comparison shows the variation between provincial EV markets.
Read article : Electric vehicle adoption across Canada
A snapshot of HRM’s public charging network and planned additions under HalifACT.
Read article : Expanding public EV charging across Halifax
Timing new electricity use to lower-cost hours can help recover grid costs while managing peak-demand impacts.
Read article : How well-managed electrification can help electricity rates
An Atlantic Canadian energy-use comparison puts a broader electrification ambition in regional context.
Read article : Electrification and the 2035 ambition
What a cost-effectiveness test counts as valuable helps determine which energy solutions receive support.
Read article : The regulatory barrier holding back strategic electrification
What the 2012–2023 sector comparison shows about the shift from fuels to electricity.
Read article : Atlantic Canada’s electrification progress
A waterfront community building brings energy-conscious design together with boatbuilding and youth programming.
Read article : Solar and resilient design at Halifax’s new Boat School
Considering available incentives when equipment reaches the end of its life can change the business case for electrification.
Read article : The incentives changing commercial heat pump economics
An illustrative comparison of electricity efficiency, electric vehicles and heat pumps replacing oil heating.
Read article : What will drive the next phase of demand-side emissions reductions?
Existing networks serving major institutions offer opportunities to consider electrification and large-scale thermal storage.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s district energy modernization opportunity
Transportation electrification can reduce exposure to global fuel-price swings and keep more energy spending in Nova Scotia.
Read article : The economic cost of Nova Scotia’s dependence on gasoline and diesel
A long-term decline in residential oil consumption connects heating upgrades with energy security and local economic benefits.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s declining dependence on home heating oil
Research and development incentives can help Atlantic Canadian businesses advance storage, microgrids, heat pumps and energy software.
Read article : SR&ED: an opportunity for Atlantic Canadian energy innovators
The evolution of the Nissan LEAF illustrates changing EV capability, with important qualifications to a circulated price comparison.
Read article : Electric vehicles and the perception gap
A comparison of diesel and electricity costs illustrates the operating-cost opportunity from electrifying Halifax’s bus fleet.
Read article : Halifax’s electric buses: the operating-cost opportunity
Reflections from Smart Energy Halifax on homeowner financing, customer-sited batteries and the role of strategic electrification.
Read article : Unlocking behind-the-meter solar in Atlantic Canada
A memorable David Suzuki advertisement offers a way to explain the cumulative impact of air sealing.
Read article : Air sealing: small improvements at a national scale
The Mi’kmaw Home Energy Efficiency Project is improving housing comfort and reducing energy costs across Nova Scotia’s First Nations communities.
Read article : Energy-efficiency improvements in Mi’kmaw communities
A spring and summer 2026 event calendar illustrates the breadth of the region’s energy conversations.
Read article : Halifax as a meeting place for energy and building innovation
Home energy upgrade data highlights Nova Scotia’s progress on insulation and building envelopes, and the region’s strength in energy efficiency.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s home-envelope retrofit advantage
An analysis of homes adding heat pumps through the EnerGuide upgrade pathway highlights a regional strength.
Read article : What EnerGuide data tells us about Maritime heat pump adoption
Could energy advisors support households over time as their decisions expand to solar, batteries, EVs and flexible demand?
Read article : From energy audits to ongoing home energy advice
A dated planning snapshot explores the scale of potential investment in heat pumps, solar, electric vehicles and batteries.
Read article : The investment opportunity in Nova Scotia’s energy transition
How eligible heat-pump investments can benefit from tax credits, and why deductions must be evaluated separately.
Read article : Understanding federal tax support for business heat pumps
Heating economics, local expertise and energy security support heat pump adoption, alongside the need to manage winter peaks.
Read article : Why Nova Scotia and heat pumps are a strong match
Local use of offshore electricity requires policy, infrastructure and customer demand to develop together.
Read article : Making offshore wind useful to Nova Scotia customers
Why building portfolios need coordinated project development, capital planning and implementation support.
Read article : Making deep energy retrofits easier to deliver at scale
An informational exploration of what it takes to turn renewable energy potential into regional economic activity.
Read article : Cape Breton’s opportunity in clean energy
Biosolids infrastructure creates opportunities to recover value from materials traditionally treated as waste.
Read article : Turning waste into resources: Halifax Water’s biosolids facility
A historical look at the connection area and planning considerations for Halifax Water’s district energy initiative.
Read article : Cogswell district energy: planning at neighbourhood scale
How EfficiencyOne’s embedded Energy Manager model connects technical expertise with client operations, capital planning and sustained energy savings. Program snapshot: November 2025.
Read article : The EfficiencyOne Energy Manager Team: a Nova Scotia success story
A strong wind resource is a starting point; delivering useful electricity also requires infrastructure and viable projects.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s offshore wind resource advantage
A historical proposal links Atlantic wind development with transmission and neighbouring electricity systems.
Read article : Wind West and the opportunity for regional electricity planning
How building design, controls and flexible loads can support electrification while limiting peak demand.
Read article : Building Nova Scotia’s grid-responsive future
A look back at a gathering focused on the built environment.
Read article : BuildGreen Atlantic: connecting the building community
Portable and window-format equipment raises useful questions about access, installation and winter performance.
Read article : Could smaller heat pumps broaden access to efficient heating?
A historical comparison shows how a cleaner electricity supply changes emissions from electric heating.
Read article : A heat-pump emissions milestone in Nova Scotia
Rondo’s thermal storage concept illustrates a different way to match electricity supply with industrial heat demand.
Read article : Heat batteries and the opportunity for industrial electrification
Food processing illustrates why efficiency, refrigeration and on-site electricity should be considered together.
Read article : Energy efficiency and solar at Oxford Frozen Foods
Lessons from Halifax’s corporate building roadmap on prioritizing heating conversions, coordinating retrofits and planning equipment replacements.
Read article : Transitioning Nova Scotia: Strategies to Phase Out Heating Oil for a Sustainable Future
A historical introduction to Nova Scotia’s approach to procuring renewable electricity for large customers.
Read article : Green Choice: connecting large customers with renewable electricity
A historical emissions-intensity chart provides context for the changing impact of electricity use.
Read article : Nova Scotia’s changing electricity emissions
A historical event photograph featuring a Dalhousie solar car display.
Read article : Connecting with the Atlantic solar community
A historical municipal-building example connects efficiency, renewable electricity and asset renewal.
Read article : Putting building energy improvements into practice
An archived production-growth chart provides context for expectations about battery costs.
Read article : Battery production growth and the cost outlook
A municipal building retrofit offers practical lessons in moving from plans to operating improvements.
Read article : Learning from the Woodside Ferry Terminal retrofit
A construction-stage view of a public recreation facility.
Read article : Building renewal at the Halifax Common
Municipal climate objectives become tangible through decisions about buildings and infrastructure.
Read article : HalifACT: connecting climate goals with building action
Specialized equipment offers another practical setting for electrification beyond passenger vehicles.
Read article : An electric ice resurfacer at St. Margaret’s Centre
A historical HRM case study in demand-controlled ventilation, LED lighting and energy monitoring.
Read article : Ragged Lake bus depot: improving a round-the-clock facility
A historical look at municipal oil reduction and the difference between achieved savings and future targets.
Read article : How HRM reduced heating-oil use in municipal buildings
A historical plan shows how an energy centre and distribution network connect a developing neighbourhood.
Read article : Cogswell district energy: planning the connections
A public washroom concept illustrates the integration of rooftop solar into a small municipal facility.
Read article : Solar in municipal building design
A historical results sheet shows how lighting, controls and ongoing management can improve a prominent public building.
Read article : Energy performance at Halifax Central Library
Construction and design images document a Halifax fire station project.
Read article : Municipal fire station renewal
A historical energy summary compares a 2016 baseline with modelled post-retrofit use.
Read article : Woodside Ferry Terminal: the scale of a planned retrofit
A Bayplex diagram illustrates an energy connection between a recreation facility and flooded mine workings.
Read article : Cape Breton’s mine-water energy opportunity
A Cape Breton arena provides a practical setting for considering building systems and operating needs together.
Read article : Energy management in an arena: Centre 200
A historical CBRM and Efficiency Nova Scotia partnership provides context for municipal energy management.
Read article : Municipal energy work in Cape Breton