Sparwood Energy

Efficiency Incentive

ProgramNelson Wight, Manager of Planning

Agenda

1. Our community

2. Policy support – OCP and CEEP

3. Incentive Program – how does it

work?

4. Carbon Neutral Reserve Fund –

key to success

5. UBCM Award

Sparwood Facts

• Located in the asserted territory of the Ktunaxa nation, who have occupied these lands

for over 10,000 years

• Raven’s Land

Sparwood Facts

• Sparwood is a community in southeastern BC with a rich mining and forestry heritage with a population of 3,800 people

• Experienced population decline since 2000, but has levelled out and started to increase –generally a flat to low growth rate anticipated for foreseeable future

Why create an incentive program?

Climate Energy Emissions Plan 2013

Action 2.4 – to expedite permit

approvals, fee rebates, and other

financial incentives

Why create an incentive program?

Official Community Plan, 2015

Promote environmental

conservation best practices

To reduce community greenhouse

gas emissions by 2 tonnes per

capita from 2007 baseline levels by

the year 2020

Energy Efficiency Incentive Program

How it works:

Builder engages with energy

advisor at design stage to model

the home

Upon completion of the build,

energy advisor completes energy

audit

Efficiency target reached – refund

granted

50% of BP fees

100% of energy advisor fees

Carbon Neutral Reserve Fund

Section 188 of the Community Charter – Council may establish a reserve fund for a specified purpose

Sparwood is signatory to the BC Climate Action Charter, which includes the commitment to develop strategies and take actions to achieve carbon neutral operations

2013 Sparwood established a Reserve Fund for Carbon Neutral Initiatives

Carbon Neutral Reserve Fund

Monies in this Reserve Fund shall be

used for:

a) Investing in greenhouse gas

emission reduction initiatives

that contribute to carbon neutral

municipal operations; or

b) For the purchase of carbon

offsets or other similar measures

that may be devised in the future

to manage greenhouse gas

emissions

Carbon Neutral Reserve Fund

Why is this key?

Provides sustainable funding for

incentive program

Eliminates “we can’t afford it”

argument

Demonstrates leadership and

cooperation – “we’re invested,

too”

UBCM Honourable Mention Award

The District of Sparwood received

recognition for its strong

leadership in energy conservation

in the form of an Honourable

Mention award at the UBCM 2016

Convention in Victoria.

The District was recognized for

their design, funding and delivery

of a new Energy Efficiency

Incentive Program resulting in over

50% of new housing starts achieving

EnerGuide80 or better in 2016.

Lessons learned

Legacy

Municipalities need to

put some “skin in the

game”

Voluntary

Carbon Neutral Reserve

Fund

New Homes vs Retrofit