Canada Launches $300 Million ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative

February 6, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

The plan calls for the investment over four years to promote smarter energy use and reduce the amount of harmful emissions that affect the health of Canadians.

"It's time to recognize that the largest untapped source of energy is the energy we waste," said Gary Lunn, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources.

There are three components to the ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative:

• The $220M ecoENERGY Retrofit program will offer homeowners, smaller businesses and organizations the support and information they need to retrofit their homes, buildings and industrial processes.
• The $60M ecoENERGY for Buildings and Houses will encourage the construction and retrofit of more energy-efficient buildings and houses.
• The $20M ecoENERGY for Industry program aims to accelerate energy-saving investments and the exchange of best practices information within Canada's industrial sector.

"There are more than 13 million homes and 380,000 buildings in this country," said Lunn. "They use 30% of our energy and are responsible for almost 30% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. Canada's industries account for 38% of energy demand and are responsible for 34% of our greenhouse gases. These are challenges that we must address.”

According to Natural Resources Canada (NRC), these ecoENERGY components are specifically designed to provide incentives for retrofitting existing houses and small-building and industry stock, and to raise the bar for new construction, while continuing to collaborate with industry on efficiency improvements.

The ecoENERGY program reinforces extensive Energy Efficiency Act amendments already included in the government's Clean Air Regulatory Agenda on a wide range of consumer products and equipment. Program details, including information about how to apply for ecoENERGY grants, will be available when the program starts in April 2007.

This is the third in a suite of ecoENERGY initiatives to help Canadians use energy more efficiently, boost renewable energy supplies and develop cleaner energy technologies. The other initiatives are the $230M ecoENERGY Technology Initiative that funds the research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies, and the ecoENERGY Renewable Initiative, a $1.5B investment to boost Canada's renewable energy supplies.

Source: Natural Resources Canada (NRC).