Low Carbon Communities (LCC) is a provincial grant program delivered through the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. The program provides funding for community projects that support cost-effective clean energy and low carbon solutions in the buildings, electricity and transportation sectors.

Program Goals:

• Help communities complete preparatory work required to develop projects (essential step to access implementation funding opportunities)
• Advance community-led, innovative solutions for clean energy
• Support learning by doing and information sharing
• Contribute to social and equitable investments in Nova Scotian communities
• Support projects with multiple benefits including economic, jobs, health, resilience and cost savings

Funding Categories:

Clean Buildings (up to $75,000): Energy audits, designs and deep retrofit plans for community buildings, affordable housing and social enterprises; planning for net zero buildings and communities including community energy plans and comprehensive design approaches; testing cost-effective local innovative solutions in the building sector.

Clean Electricity (up to $75,000): Feasibility studies and planning for renewable energy sources and distributed energy projects including net-metered solar, community solar, battery energy storage, electricity resiliency solutions (microgrids, virtual power plants); community or neighbourhood energy planning including district energy systems; testing cost-effective local innovative solutions in the electricity sector.

Clean Transportation (up to $75,000): Studies, strategies, design and planning for zero-emission vehicle fleets, charging infrastructure, transit systems, community-led shared mobility services (EV, E-bike), and local delivery services; testing cost-effective local innovative solutions in the transportation sector.

Clean Energy Education (up to $50,000): Staff training, capacity building and group learning; clean energy education, promotion or public engagement; workforce development, training or upskilling for buildings, electricity and/or transportation sectors.

Eligible Activities (Preparatory Work):

Clean energy education and engagement, community energy plans, consultation, concept design, cost estimates, design/engineering, energy modeling, energy assessments, feasibility studies, identification of GHG priorities, information sharing, site selection, staff training and development, workforce development.

Ineligible Activities (Implementation):

Capital expenses, construction, financing, land acquisition, land lease, permitting, procurement.

Additional Ineligible Projects and Expenses:

• Organizational administration, existing staff salaries, start-up costs and restructuring
• Projects without strong community support
• Projects serving organizations with exclusive membership
• Ongoing operational costs for charging infrastructure, fleets, transit and shared mobility services
• Purchase and installation of Level 2 EV chargers (except for innovation pilots: eligible for 50% of installed costs up to $5,000)
• Energy audits and design plans solely focused on upgrading existing electric systems
• Redistributing funding as grants/rebates to other organizations
• Projects not materially advancing objectives of federal and provincial climate plans

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicant must be based in Nova Scotia and project must benefit Nova Scotian communities
• Project should be identified as community priority, identified in community plan/municipal document, or have letter of support from Council
• Project speaks to potential of future GHG reductions
• Applicant must provide proof of matching funds and/or in-kind contributions
• Multiple submissions allowed (applicant must identify priority ranking)