A detailed guide for Alberta municipalities to evaluate, adopt, and launch the Clean Energy Improvement Program.
The Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) is enabled by Bill 10 (SA 2018, c 6), which amended the Municipal Government Act to create Division 6.1. This legislation authorizes municipalities to establish clean energy improvement programs, impose energy improvement taxes, and designate program administrators.
Deep Retrofit Capital was designated as a Program Administrator under Ministerial Order 16/2025 (signed October 23, 2025). DRC provides turnkey administration -- from bylaw development through ongoing program management -- funded entirely by private capital with zero public funds required.
Evaluation and due diligence
DRC provides a fiscal impact analysis tailored to your municipality, including projected uptake, capital deployed, energy savings, and GHG reductions.
Key considerations include property assessment impacts, local contractor employment effects, and utility savings flowing back to property owners.
Under Bill 10, municipal borrowing for CEIP programs is excluded from municipal debt limits. However, with DRC's private-capital model, the municipality does not borrow at all -- DRC funds all projects directly. The municipality's sole financial role is collecting the energy improvement tax and remitting it to the program administrator.
Legislative authority for the program
DRC provides a comprehensive model bylaw template that your legal team can adapt to your municipality's specific needs. The model bylaw covers all required elements under the legislation and regulation.
View Model Bylaw TemplateThe bylaw is passed under the authority of Division 6.1 of the Municipal Government Act (RSA 2000, c.M-26), as added by Bill 10. This provides municipalities with specific authority to establish a clean energy improvement program, designate a program administrator, impose an energy improvement tax, and enter into administration agreements.
The bylaw is adopted by council resolution following the municipality's standard bylaw process, including any required public hearings or notice periods. DRC provides supporting materials for council briefings and public engagement.
Formalizing the partnership
Under the administration agreement, DRC assumes responsibility for all program operations: application intake and review, contractor qualification and oversight, project monitoring, financial management, agreement registration on SPIN2 land titles, and reporting.
The municipality's role is to maintain the CEIP bylaw, impose the energy improvement tax on participating properties, collect tax payments through the existing property tax process, and remit collections to DRC.
Open for applications
DRC publishes the list of eligible improvements for your municipality, covering categories such as building envelope, mechanical systems, lighting, solar and renewable energy, energy management, motors and drives, and commercial kitchen. The list can be tailored to your community's priorities.
Qualified contractors in your region are registered and verified through DRC's contractor qualification process. All contractors must hold APEGA or AAA licensing, carry $5M liability and $2M errors and omissions insurance, maintain current WCB coverage, and complete DRC's training program.
Property owners submit applications through DRC's digital platform. DRC manages the full lifecycle: ownership verification, insurance confirmation, energy assessment coordination, application review and approval, CEIP agreement execution, SPIN2 registration, and tax imposition notification.
Transparency and accountability
DRC delivers annual public reports to the municipality and the Government of Alberta by September 1 each year. Reports include program activity, capital deployed, energy savings achieved, GHG reductions, contractor performance, and property owner satisfaction metrics.
DRC monitors key performance indicators throughout the program lifecycle:
DRC conducts post-completion surveys and one-year follow-up assessments (ASHRAE Level 2 audits) to verify that energy improvements are performing as predicted and that property owners are satisfied with the program experience.
Contact Deep Retrofit Capital to discuss CEIP adoption for your municipality. We provide guidance and support at every step of the process.