Linh’s Home Upgrades Program Story
After moving to Calgary from Vietnam, Linh discovered the Home Upgrades Program through a Vietnamese community Facebook post.
*This interview was conducted in Vietnamese by Kambo Energy Mentor Khanh Ha and translated into English. The participant's name has been changed to protect their privacy.
Linh moved to Canada from Vietnam with her husband and their three children in 2024, hoping to start a business in Calgary. By early 2025, they had moved into their home, built in 1997.
Before Linh heard about the Home Upgrades Program, she was trying to manage the same challenges many Calgary families face, especially during the colder months: an older home, high energy bills, and uncertainty about where to turn for help.
The guidance that changed things for her family did not come through a brochure or advertisement. It came from someone in her community.
While scrolling through a Facebook group for Vietnamese residents in Calgary, Linh came across a post from Khanh, a Vietnamese-speaking Empower Me Energy Mentor who delivers Energy and Water Saving Workshops through the Home Upgrades Program. As an Energy Mentor, Khanh regularly shares information in Vietnamese to help community members learn that eligible households can access support to improve home comfort, safety, and energy efficiency.
That simple post became Linh’s first connection to the Home Upgrades Program — a reminder that access to support often starts with seeing trusted information shared in familiar spaces and languages.
“I was very happy to stumble upon this program as I had never heard of it before,” Linh said. “Our house is quite old, and I remember thinking this program would be very useful for households like mine... My home was not warm enough, and my attic didn’t have sufficient insulation.”
Khanh’s post came at the right time, but Linh was cautious. As a newcomer to Canada who was unfamiliar with the programs offered by the City of Calgary, she wanted to make sure the information was legitimate before applying.
“I was quite worried it might be a scam so it took me a long time to ponder whether I should apply for it,” she said.
Before moving forward with an application, Linh searched online, reviewed the Home Upgrades Program website, and learnt as much as she could about the program. Her research, along with the opportunity to ask Khanh questions in Vietnamese, helped her feel confident enough to apply.
Linh participated in all three streams offered through the City of Calgary’s Home Upgrades Program. She attended an Energy and Water-Saving Workshop, received a RetroKit, and proceeded with Home Upgrades for her house. The process also helped her better understand her home in ways to improve winter comfort.
“I now have more knowledge about my home structure, ventilation, and insulation in the winter months,” she said.
As part of the Home Upgrades stream, Linh’s family has received attic insulation, two new windows, and a hot water tank upgrade. The completed upgrades have already made a difference in the home.
“My home is now warmer and [the] hot water system also runs more smoothly,” Linh shared. She also noticed a decrease in her utility bills after the upgrades.
For Linh, the program’s impact has been both practical and meaningful.
“I am very thankful to the program for the renovation and upgrades, which allowed my home to feel more comfortable and to be more cost-effective,” she said. “I hope that more families can learn about this program to reduce costs and to enhance their quality of life at home.”
For Linh, having Khanh answer her questions in Vietnamese made the program easier to understand. Khanh helped her understand application steps, requirements, application progress, and what to expect during the home assessment process.
Khanh describes her Energy Mentor role as helping connect participants with the information and support they needed from the HUP team.
“I am very grateful and honoured to spread the knowledge in the Vietnamese community about the HUP program,” she said. “It warms my heart to witness this program’s positive impacts on people's lives, knowing it allows them to experience warmer winters and feel safer at home.”
Linh’s experience demonstrates the importance of clear, in-language information when residents are learning about a program for the first time.
For Calgarians interested in Workshops, a RetroKit, or Home Upgrades, the Home Upgrades Program team encourages applicants to reach out and indicate their preferred language when asking for support. The program currently supports Spanish, Farsi, Punjabi, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic and English. However, speakers of other languages are still encouraged to contact the program, as additional language support can be arranged.
To learn more about the City of Calgary’s three program streams and apply, visit: https://www.homeupgradesprogram.ca/calgary
Latest Homeowner Stories
