HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-09-105 - CREW LEAF Application.................................................................
J
...............................................................
.................... .
7erirr~iarl ser~+ices
............................................. .
REPORT TO: Council
DATE OF MEETING: June 29, 2009
SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Willmer, Interim General Manager, Development &
Technical Services
PREPARED BY: Barbara Steiner, Senior Environmental Planner (519-741-
2293)
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: June 24, 2009
REPORT NO.: DTS-09-105
SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION
FUND (LEAF) SPRING 2009
COMMUNITY RENEWABLE ENERGY WATERLOO (CREW)
POWER$AVING NETWORK
RECOMMENDATION:
1. THAT a grant of $5,000 from the Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) to
Community Renewable Energy Waterloo (CREW) to support the 2009 work
program of the Power$aving Network be approved; and further,
2. THAT CREW be advised to re-apply at the next LEAF intake for any further grant
amounts.
BACKGROUND:
On April 27, 2009, Council resolved to refer for further discussion the LEAF grant application of
Community Renewable Energy Waterloo (CREW) of less than $50,000 to the Finance and
Corporate Services Committee (FCS) of May 11, 2009. At FCS on May 11, 2009, Committee
resolved to defer consideration of CREW's Power$aving Network grant application to the next
intake for LEAF. However, at Council on May 19, 2009, CREW appeared as a delegation to
appeal the decision of FCS Committee and again request funding from LEAF. That date,
Council resolved that staff continue to work with CREW with respect to this LEAF application
and return to Council by the end of June 2009.
REPORT:
Since April of 2009 under direction from Council, staff has discussed in detail CREW's
Power$aving Network application with the applicant and amongst the membership of the LEAF
Steering Committee to resolve concerns particularly around:
7(a)-1
• Kitchener content;
• Fair cost-sharing among municipalities being served; and
• Cost per visit across the Region and opportunities for other funding.
A detailed summary of additional information from the applicant and from staff was provided to
Council in an email from B. Steiner dated May 11, 2009. The applicant provided further
additional information directly to Council in an email from G. Woolner dated May 19, 2009.
The applicant, appearing as a delegation at Council on May 19, 2009, expanded on his email in
response to questions and offered that the Power$aving Network project could go forward in
2009 but with a reduced scope of work. On that date, CREW was proposing Kitchener Council
approve an alternate LEAF grant amount of between $5,000 and $10,000 to allow the program
to go forward in 2009.
Since May 19, 2009, CREW has received an additional $6,000 from the Regional Municipality of
Waterloo for a revised 2009 grant total of $10,000. The Region had previously granted CREW
$4,000 for this project for 2009. The other funder to date is the City of Waterloo in the amount of
$1,000. Therefore, without LEAF funding, CREW's 2009 Power$aving Network project has
confirmed funds of $11,000.
In response to a question from staff regarding a modified 2009 work program enabled if
Kitchener granted CREW $5,000, CREW stated that a LEAF grant of $5,000 would permit the
following residential audits in Kitchener in 2009:
• Education in schools - 40 Grade. 6, 7 & 9 student households as part of a pilot proiect
• Lower income housing and seniors on fixed income - 24 residences as part of a il~ot
rp oiect, multiple Kitchener Housing sites
• Informal household audits via borrowed kits - 40 Total: 104
It was also offered in response to this question that there is currently an unconfirmed possibility
of offering the service to a seniors' condominium residence in Kitchener where CREW hopes to
train resident champions to implement the Power$aving Network system. If confirmed and
implemented, this could potentially add another 24 Kitchener addresses.
CREW, in an email from G. Woolner dated June 24, 2009 (attached), has stated that if
Kitchener granted LEAF funding of $10,000 in 2009, 60% more Kitchener residences could be
served by the Power$aving Network system due to the loss of some efficiency with smaller
numbers (for $5,000) being served--for a total of 260 Kitchener residences.
However, in fairness to the other LEAF grant applicants who met a deadline of February 16,
2009, staff recommend that any LEAF grant made in 2009 be kept to the lesser $5,000 amount,
and in order to permit the preservation of the Power$aving Network service in Kitchener in
2009.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
As of 2009, $4 million was available in the LEAF. Of that, $1.163559 has been committed
through Council's approval of grants in Spring 2009.
7(a)-2
COMMUNICATIONS:
CREW was informed of the recommendations contained in this report and of the date that
Council would be considering these recommendations.
REVIEWED BY:
• Alain Pinard, Interim Director of Planning
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Interim General Manager
Development and Technical Services Department
Attachment:
Email submission by Glen Woolner on behalf of CREW Power$aving Network dated June 24,
2009
7(a)-3
t=ram: [~Ien at CHEW lglen®.crewaone.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 20[?9 71:19 AM
Ta: Barbara 5tr~iner, ; ; bett-~crewzone.ca
Subject: Fie: CREW P.$lV I.E:AF grant application
Hi Barb and LEAF Cammittez,
A lot has been happening sirme we have spoken last.
Overall Objective: The GREW P$N ,has ambitious. targets for pilot projects this year, as wa shared earlier: loan
income housing, seniors on fixed income and grade 5, G and grade 9 school curriculum worknrg with the sciearce
teacheas and students to find .the best, way to educatelmotivate spsder;ts and their respective houselsaWs.to
_ consa~ve via the CREW P$N Self-'AUDI'T' SYSTfiM A1dI] TODL KiT. The ovrrali goal is discover the hest
methods to help each of these demographics to be part of the Going Green movement and•part of the solution to
reduce our individual and corporate carbon footprints within the City of Kitchener. A sigrpdicant number of
additioonal informal audits will else ba conducted. Carbon radusction amounts ~ ba tabulated as another
environmaxtal aclsievemerrt far the City of Kitchener. .
• Brief IIpdate:
R~asvling acLools, we already have 2 grade nine science classes, a total of SQ studentslhouseholda Tu
Kitchener, in the midst of a pilot to be completed before the end of 3une. This pilot had a very time frame
with the school year quickly Doming to an end. Barly.. reports ale extremely positive and that the program will ba
made psrmaaeiut foe the school's curriculum. The school is purchasing 24,kits as class sacs using foods the
school has been granted for this purpose: Formal reporting will follow in due course.
Kitchener Sonsing'is scheduled to move forward vu a pilot with a 36 unit apartment dweIIing this summer
starting as soon as funding is committed.' This is a bus~dmg that is in need of hobs electrical and envelope
'assessment, starting wig the CREW electricity audit. We hope tv make the I?3N detailed electrical audit and the
• REEP {envelope} audit a collaborative effort for optimum results and savings to the housing provides. Due
CREW ]PAN coordinator viii train and work with the building superintendent and other dwelling volunteer
' champions to do electricity audits ors all units. The individual units are unnetered so part of the piloting
objective is to ascertain the total idemdfied' electricity savings for the building based on teanant eIeo4riaity use
and m discover how tv motivate this type of tetlauAR community into behavioural change roelated. flo electricity
conservaiioti The ED is also targeting assorted othu~r housing projects, including seniors vn fixed iacvrnes, fns
piloting samples comefall - iuvvlving 25 - 30 or maim uanifs depexrling an f oQdmg availubr7ity. '
Iu addition to the piloting aspects, we expect to do informal audits on'more than YQU hvm~• in ICitchenes
using the kaowiedge gained from am piloting of last year. Again, the informal audit numbers vuve are abIa to
acc:axmplish will depend on finding to purchase mare kits and caoxdinate volunteers and kit signvuts. We Head to
hire a croordinatvr immediately and have a produrc#i-re summer with furdsedr ramping up came fall We have WLU
and DW sasearetsers who ara:interressted in dvingfollow-up research on our efFaris -details afauhich will only be
Termed up vacs we have laid down conru'ese pearls, fund~g sensiiires both for thorn and CREW.
Another #hiag we have done is s~ up a C,~W Pv+rer Sawing Network CollaborAtive including Iitchener
Housing, RBEI', the Region's Cvmrnnnity Hvusiag division, and World 11Vide Opportunities for Women
{WWOW~. In additieas to the other lower incamna populations represented, dos will directly assist WWOW in
' their work with new immigrant families, helping them vauxsssve while now living im a Haw country, vrith many
things foreign to them. WWDW has the interface and we have the foals and suppuxt Many of tltesa families live
in TCite~senea and Regional housing facilities, but Hat limited m.1Ci#chrauar units will be tracked. W t don't have a -
number lac on this as yet. •
sra~r~ao9 - .
7(a)-4
You should also lsaow that-the CRIiW PSN Self-Audit Itifs alts now ava~hle inr s{ate out at librerles in
I{itCherx~, Cambridge, Waterloo amd The Region. We ~ornpleted librarian trainin~gs, last month of which KPT.
staff also took part. In addition, the P$N hits area also avaiiabk Through Mexuxonite Central Committee C]nisriv
4eadirnt Cra'e paugram, BEEP as welt as [3reerting Sacred Spaces. CREW donated a kit to KPL situx owe
function as parGaers fort CREW Public Education Even. They have since ordered atorc find to popular Iaan
detxtaud. •
As far as the oijlities are concerned, they tell us ihat.they still ~E have discretionary funds. However, #hsy do
share a concern over ootrservaEia~n. we are informed that mono of the utilities have a community conservation
education person am staff cRlrw plains tc speak further with ~ w Hydro and the others regarding how the
CREW P$N and other fao~s of CRBw, in cavahoxadion wiW BEEP, can help tlttm acaomislish this task. we
arc also working with the rtilities r~rding the codm'hility ~af our P$N kit devices with the smart iVle6er
installations ocauriug aver the months ahead, to be eoutpieted his time next year. All looks good to go. CREW
is also eneerirrg into discussion with them in the near fixture regarding an innovative, made in this community,
rn~hod of providing real time feedback to the housing tenant ar awmzr, and provider ring electricity
cons~xmption - a r+cal Lima aid to encourage cvnseavatian in tease moors difficult demographics. Ttis will be a
,highly collaborative effort with local hi-tech 5rms to address a special Hoed that new tecbonvlogy makes possihIe.
There is high probability of a lacat den~smrtiovx project. we can repoat on dais further in the future.
Tn regards to tending the CREW PSl-I pib~g ~itiatir~es fa'r 7.009. woe have since -approached the Region of
Waterloo, directly to council as advisad:by staff since their Eaiviorenmentnl Grant Fund is still not fully operative.
GRiBW PSN has bean granted as additional $G,ODO for a total finm the Ytegion of $10,000 for the 2(109
initiatives. I have shared earlier that wee are in the cue far, other ~g applications and wt71 he not>1xed vvhesx
application tithe is appraach~g. We have nv tiim information to share currently. 'T'he txrtal• head. i4 reserve for
2009 P$N initiatives cnorenRty is $11,000 (Region plus Waterloo). .
we axae asking Kitchener to pro-~lde tl~e CREW ~i xoo9 initiatives wl~ a ~ which,
vo~mbined with the Current $11,000 held in reserve, would help CREW move with confidence stn a prodadir+e
summer and stopped up program f~ Thee fall axed winter 2009, with a budget of 321,000. T'he $10,000 Kitchen'
grant would be tied and tracdced and tveparted on exchrsively for Kitchener as we did with last year s pilot.
In Summary:
1<or a ~10.0001.~~ ~~- wz strive, throughout ?A09, m provide a minimurri number of rssideaatial• audits ixx
I~6Chener of :.
~ educatien in schools - ],00 gr. 6, 7 8t 9 stude~rt households es part of a
~ lonwer income housing dt seniors on f xzd income - 60 •residemoas as paxt of a ~piiat pr-~ie~ multsp~ Kitcheener
Housing sites •
~ ~ household audits via borrowed kits -100 .
~ ove also havz a seniors ao>sdo in our sights, wlxich we hope to train resident champions to implement -potential
of additional urirts - 60 .
•As stated previously in our initial request; community l?$N esducaiiaxi events in various venues will still occur
but seriously staled back in numb.
since the cffccien~cy increases by scale.
More coordinator time allows for max+e training and coordi~ustiorx of volunteers, mart kits available for
lean, more direct corriral av~ quality of audits Conducted and in-depth rveporting thereof, etc..
In eanclnsion, CIt.EW is 8~i1~ for ~IQAQO to croeate an optimum benefit toward the objectives stated at the
outset and the best return on inveshmeat for the City of Kitrlxener.
Thank you for the continued comsidexation of CRBW as it seelCS to scree the City, of Kitchener and brooded
cceanrunity•by its stated objectives. •
clen•woobxer .
Beth Hobson .. .
t7n l3ehaif of the QtEW Hoard and l?ow~r Saving Network
7(a)-5