Powering a Greener Future

Evergreen Electrical Limited opened in 2012 with the simple goal of providing quality work and honest service while building long-term relationships with their customers. Starting as a partnership between electricians Justin Gillard and Scott Coulter, Evergreen has grown steadily over the years, expanding into heat pumps, solar energy, generators and other energy-efficient solutions.

Co-owner Justin met with us to share some exciting projects they’ve recently undertaken and talk about their next goals for the business.

Evergreen Electric initially moved its banking to CUA after five years in business. Justin and Scott were looking to expand and had approached their bank about increasing their operating line of credit, a critical step in expanding their product offering. To their surprise, the application was denied, leaving them facing a potential ceiling to future expansion. “That’s when we started looking around to see what else was available and we came across CUA and the Loan Guarantee Program,” says Justin. For Evergreen Electric, it was the open door they’d been waiting for.

Helping small businesses implement big ideas is part of CUA’s DNA. Each application is evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure the business has every chance of getting a ‘yes’ either through CUA’s various business financing products or the Nova Scotia Small Business Loan Guarantee Program. When Justin and Scott first sat down with CUA, they felt CUA really understood their business plan, the viability of it, and took their character into account.

“With CUA behind us, we were able to double our operating loan,” says Justin. “That was reason enough for us to come over.” They now have a number of business products with CUA, including day-to-day banking, financing and merchant services. Having a reliable banking partner has been an important factor in allowing the duo to expand their service offerings, focus more on energy efficient solutions and take on larger projects.

“Recently, we helped a not-for-profit company build a garage for their fleet of electric vans,” said Justin. “Efficiency is important to this company; they wanted the garage to be fitted with solar panels to help charge their vans."

“They help people living rurally with transportation to appointments, work or errands,” explained Justin. “They use electric vehicles and we were able to build a garage for them with solar panels and the wiring setup to charge their entire fleet of vehicles.”

Since starting in 2012, the team has grown from just the two of them to 14. Justin shared that in the future, they hope to expand it even further with a five-year goal of tripling in size.

“We are planning for growth by expanding into more commercial work. We will be recruiting more staff so we can have a larger capacity for more projects,” explained Justin. “Currently, we get a lot of referrals and repeat customers, and we are very proud of that.”

Justin is grateful for the quick decisions that CUA has been able to provide, as well as the customized product options that can work with their needs.

“As a growing business, there have been times when we've needed quick answers and flexible solutions. One thing we've always appreciated about CUA is that the staff knows our business and understands our industry,” said Justin.

“Having access to decision-makers and a team that genuinely wants to help has made banking much easier and allowed us to focus on serving our customers.”

Are you considering a heat pump or other energy efficient upgrade?

As energy systems shift towards more efficient solutions, many homeowners are exploring upgrading their heating systems, such as removing oil-based systems and replacing them with heat pumps or electric baseboard heating. 

At CUA, we have Energy Efficiency financing for many upgrades to your home or business, including heating systems. We recommend first getting a Home Energy Assessment through Efficiency Nova Scotia for recommendations on the most effective ways to make your home or business space more efficient. Our team then works directly with you as a homeowner or business owner to provide financing for the upgrades. CUA’s Energy Efficiency Financing can support a range of improvements, including heat pumps, solar panels, LED lighting, new windows and insulation. 

Upgrading to a heat pump can support both long-term savings and sustainability. We asked Justin for advice on how to extend the life of your equipment.

“The biggest thing is cleaning the filters regularly. Dirty filters reduce airflow and can affect performance and efficiency,” explained Justin. “We also recommend keeping outdoor units free of leaves, snow and debris, and having your system professionally serviced every few years. A little preventative maintenance can go a long way toward extending the life of the equipment.”

If you are thinking of making your house more energy efficient, you can find Evergreen Electric along with our other Green Partners at cua.com/gogreen. CUA is proud to help our members stay comfortable year-round while reducing their environmental impact. 

July 2026