Energy in households is explored in the context of households in the Canadian built environment, in which considerable amounts of energy must be consumed as heating energy over the winter months, particularly in older or low-income dwellings. Recent Canadian poverty trends are explored and are analyzed in conjunction to the country's rising energy rates and effects on affordability. Past and current measures aimed at improving the existing housing stock in Canada and in other countries are explored, including retrofitting, behavioural change and renewable energy generation. The issue of thermal comfort in social housing programs is discussed, with examples from both developed and developing countries. Potential remedies to energy poverty situations in Canada are presented by discussing similar programs from other countries, including classification techniques and data analysis measures. Results from other countries and potential benefits to Canada are demonstrated, and the Quebec model of socially mandated energy is highlighted as an example which can be adopted by other provinces. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.