Jenny's Story

In July, we hosted a media day with Jenny Vu, a long-time Calgary resident and Home Upgrades Program participant. Jenny, originally from Vietnam, has lived in her home for 34 years. Over the years, she has faced a variety of challenges as a single mother raising her children, managing a household, and now living with health conditions that prevent her from working. Despite these obstacles, she continues to pour her energy into her passions, including gardening and volunteering with the Calgary Vietnamese Women’s Cultural Association (CAVWA), where she has served as a past president.

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Jenny's story is one of resilience and strength. Although her children have grown up and moved out, she remains dedicated to maintaining her home. However, without a steady income, she has found it increasingly difficult to manage the rising costs of energy bills and home upkeep. When she applied, Jenny was spending 27% of her after-tax income on energy bills alone, with 71% of her income going toward overall home and energy costs. For someone living on limited means, this left little room for other necessities, let alone the much-needed upgrades her aging home required.

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It was through an Empower Me Energy Mentor that Jenny first heard about the Home Upgrades Program. The mentor helped her navigate the application process, opening the door to significant energy efficiency improvements for her home. After receiving upgrades, Jenny was excited to welcome the program's team into her home and share her positive experiences with funders and the media.

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On the day of the media event, Jenny welcomed Calgary Councillor Evan Spencer into her home to showcase the impact that HUP had on her living conditions. Councillor Spencer spoke about the importance of such initiatives for homeowners like Jenny, emphasizing that energy affordability is critical in today’s economy.

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"Housing affordability is impacted by many factors, including the rising cost of energy bills,” said Councillor Spencer. “The Home Upgrades Program is the first tool we have to make an immediate and tangible improvement to the affordability and comfort of participants’ homes."

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For Jenny, the improvements were life changing. HUP significantly upgraded her home, starting with increasing her attic insulation from 2 inches to a standard 18 inches. This enhancement drastically reduced heat loss in her home, making it much more energy efficient. In addition, her 23-year-old water heater was replaced with a high-efficiency model, and the program conducted air sealing throughout the house to further improve insulation and reduce drafts.

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But it wasn’t just about comfort—safety was also a priority. During the upgrade process, HUP discovered poor wiring and missing smoke detectors, both of which were immediately addressed to bring Jenny’s home up to standard. Without these interventions, these issues could have led to more serious risks in the future.

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“I’m just very grateful,” Jenny said during her media interview. “Without HUP, I couldn’t have afforded these upgrades myself.”

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Jenny’s story is a testament to the difference the Home Upgrades Program is making for Calgary homeowners. For people living on fixed or limited incomes, the program provides much-needed relief, offering not just financial savings but also improved living conditions, safety, and peace of mind.

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The program is made possible thanks to the generosity of our funding partners: Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, the City of Calgary, the City of Edmonton, ENMAX, the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, the McConnell Foundation, Suncor Energy Foundation, and Calgary Foundation.

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