Energy Efficiency Best Practices Shared at Council of the Federation Conference

Canada's Energy and Environment ministers concluded a conference today, Nov. 4, that brought together provinces and territories with energy-efficiency experts to discuss ways to help Canadians use less energy through energy efficiency and conservation.

The energy efficiency conference, sponsored by the Council of the Federation, provided an opportunity for all provinces and territories to learn more about best practices and successful energy-efficiency programs throughout the country.

"As we prepare for another unpredictable Canadian winter, all provinces and territories are exploring ways to make people more aware of opportunities to save money by using less energy, including home heating fuel," said Premier Rodney MacDonald, host of the conference. "Home-heating costs are a serious issue for many Canadians, and provinces and territories are taking innovative steps to help residents reduce strain on household budgets and on the environment."

Premier MacDonald shared some of Nova Scotia's successes and best practices, most notably with the province's legislative commitment to having one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world by 2020 through the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.

The act, proclaimed in June 2007, sets out 21 aggressive goals for the province, ranging from reduced air emissions to new energy-efficiency standards for buildings. These include reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to at least 10 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and adopting emissions standards for new vehicles by 2020.

Nova Scotia has more than 50 energy-efficiency programs and initiatives in place through Conserve Nova Scotia, including Heat Smart programs to help people use less energy for home heating, the Residential Energy Affordability Program, and a solar heating rebate program.

Provinces and territories shared best practices in topics ranging from energy-efficient homes and buildings to public awareness campaigns. Examples of successful initiatives in energy efficiency for households included the Yukon's Sustainable Housing for the New Energy Paradigm, Saskatchewan's Share the Warmth Home Energy Efficiency project, and Prince Edward Island's Energy Efficiency Loan for Low Income Households.

Alberta's Climate Change Central program aims to raise awareness about energy efficiency and other key environmental issues. Ontario's Conservation in an Integrated Power Plan described how conservation has priority planning for the provinces future electricity needs.

Several provinces and territories provided information about programs focused on the industrial sector and energy efficiency in the workplace. Best practices included Northwest Territories' Good Building Practices for Northern Facilities, Nunavut's retrofitting of government buildings, British Columbia's Carbon Neutral Government, Manitoba's green building policy and New Brunswick's Energy Efficiency for Industry.

Quebec presented A High Score for the Quebec Energy Efficiency Team, while Newfoundland and Labrador shared its strategy for improving energy efficiency in government-funded buildings through its Energy Conservation and Efficiency Partnership.

A contribution will be made to a United Way agency to make energy-efficient lighting upgrades on behalf of conference presenters.

At the Council of the Federation meeting in Quebec City in July, Canadian premiers committed to achieving a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency by 2020 in their respective jurisdictions. Premiers adopted a five-point plan to help achieve the country's energy-efficiency goals, including:

• Enhancing the Model National Energy Code for Buildings by 25 per cent by 2011;
• Adding energy efficiency as the fifth core objective to the National Building Code of Canada;
• Increasing the numbers of energy-using products covered by the minimum energy performance standards;
• Adopting green building policies for new construction of government-funded facilities, including sustainable procurement guidelines for energy and water use; and
• Implementing a public or private mechanism so individual homeowners have access to energy efficiency home audits and assistance with energy efficiency retrofits.

Premier MacDonald will report back to the Council of the Federation on best practices shared at the conference and progress on the five-point plan on behalf of ministers responsible for energy efficiency.

For more information about energy-efficiency programs in Nova Scotia, call Conserve Nova Scotia's toll-free EnerInfo line at 1-800-670-4636 or visit www.conservens.ca .