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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRPS-10-048 - Environmental Committee Recommendation - REEP - Cancellation of the EcoEnergy Retrofit~~~~ ~ar~c~~a~e ~r~vice Report To: Councillor C. Weylie, Chair and Members of the Development and Technical Services Committee Date of Meeting: April 26, 2010 Submitted By: Environmental Committee Prepared By: Colin Goodeve, Committee Administrator (741 - 2278} Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: April 15, 2010 Report No.: CRPS-10-048 Subject: ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECT CREEP) - CANCELLATION OF THE ECOENERGY RETROFIT - HOMES SERVICE RECOMMENDATION: WHEREAS Canadians are increasingly concerned about the impacts of global climate change, and calling on their governments at all levels to take leadership on this issue by implementing comprehensive and lasting strategies to mitigate climate change and reduce emissions; and, WHEREAS the Federal government unexpectedly announced that it was cancelling new participation in the "ecoENERGY Retrofit -Homes service", with local estimates indicating that participants in Waterloo Region have: retrofitted over 4,000 homes for energy efficiency; reduced 10,000 tonnes of CO2 annually; saved over $2M on their energy bills; received combined Federal and Provincial incentives of over $6M; and, stimulated the local economy by over $20M by retrofitting their homes; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Kitchener urge the Federal government to immediately restore funding for this highly successful program so that additional gains can be made in the CO2 reductions already achieved; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this motion be circulated to the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Finance, Natural Resources, and the Environment, local Members of Parliament, as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for consideration as a resolution of its own; and, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Premier of Ontario, the Ontario Ministers of Energy and Infrastructure, and the Environment, as well as local Members of Provincial Parliament, be urged to maintain Provincial funding and incentives to assist in the continuation of this valuable initiative. 3-1 BACKGROUND: Founded in 1998, the Residential Energy Efficiency Project (REEP) provides residents with tools for sustainable resource use, energy conservation and efficiency, and renewable energy applications through the facilitation of environmental programs and services, public education, research and community partnerships. In late 2005, REEP became incorporated as a project of Waterloo Region Green Solutions (WRGS), a community-based non-profit environmental organization that is funded by a combination of local partners, provincial contracts, grants and client fees. REEP was originally established to be a local delivery agent for the Federal "EnerGuide for Houses" home energy evaluations, now called ecoENERGY. The EnerGuide for Houses home assessment was created by Natural Resources Canada to provide third party unbiased advice to homeowners and homebuyers about how to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. REEP's Certified Energy Advisors use NRCan's computer modeling system to determine a home's energy performance and identify sources of heat and energy loss. Only homes evaluated by a Certified Energy Advisor under the ecoENERGY home assessment were eligible for grants from the Federal Government; with residents needing both an initial and follow-up home energy evaluation in order to quantify energy efficiency improvements and determine their grant amounts. Since its inception, REEP has evaluated the energy efficiency of over 12,000 homes in the area, with a total of $6M in grants received by homeowners for their energy-saving renovations. Those same homeowners have spent an estimated $20M on upgrades, boosting the local economy, supporting contractors and building material suppliers. In addition, these homeowners have reduced their collective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an estimated 10,152 tonnes per year. REPORT: At the April 15, 2010 Environmental Committee meeting, Ms. Mary Jane Patterson, Executive Director of REEP advised that without any prior warning Natural Resources Canada announced that as of March 31, 2010 no new homeowners would be admitted into the Federal ecoENERGY Retrofit -Homes program. This is despite the fact that less than 10 percent of the homes in need of these upgrades in Canada have been assessed through this program. She noted that the matching grants offered by the Government of Ontario may still be available, but anyone who has not already booked an initial home energy evaluation is no longer eligible to participate in the Federal ecoENERGY grant program. Ms. Patterson advised that this is not the first time the Federal government has cancelled their home energy evaluation program without any advanced warning. On May 13, 2006, REEP was notified that effective that date they were not to perform any further "EnerGuide for Houses" initial evaluations, as the Federal government had ceased funding for that program. However, through pressure applied by local municipalities, such as Kitchener, the Government of Canada reinstated the "EnerGuide for Houses" home energy evaluations, in the form of the ecoENERGY Retrofit -Homes program. The Committee was further advised that REEP would continue to offer home energy evaluations along with other services including solar assessments. Homeowners who had already registered for the ecoENERGY program by booking or completing a home energy evaluation are not affected by this loss of service. These participants still have the opportunity to apply for and receive an ecoENERGY grant before March 31, 2011. 3-2 Since 2008, the Ontario Home Energy Savings program has matched Federal ecoENERGY grants, providing a maximum grant of $10,000. per household. The provincial portion of up to $5,000. per household may still be available to homeowners who book an energy evaluation after March 31, 2010; however, the province administered its grants through the Federal program. REEP is in the process of investigating whether the provincial grants would still be available and will provide updates on this once it has additional information. The Federal ecoENERGY initiatives helped residents to use energy more efficiently, boost renewable energy supplies and develop cleaner-energy technologies. Accordingly, the Environmental Committee is requesting that the City of Kitchener urge the Federal government to immediately restore funding for this highly successful program, and the Provincial government to continue its incentives, so that additional gains can be made in the CO2 reductions already achieved. Ms. Mary Jane Patterson has agreed to attend the April 26, 2010 meeting to respond to questions from the Committee. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: N/A ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Troy Speck, General Manager of Corporate Services 3-3