City of Kelowna joins FortisBC PowerSense for an ener-vention | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kelowna News

City of Kelowna joins FortisBC PowerSense for an ener-vention

City Council is committed to helping Kelowna residents get the skinny on energy savings. At today’s meeting they agreed to support FortisBC’s Okanagan Energy Diet and provide $25 per home, for up to 1000 Kelowna homes that take part in the program.

FortisBC will provide Okanagan Energy Diet participants with a discounted energy assessment, energy saving products installed directly in their home, hands-on help applying for up to $6,000 worth of rebates, and if eligible, financing options to make energy efficient improvements to their home.

“The City is proud to be a municipal partner in the Okanagan Energy Diet,” said Kelowna Mayor, Walter Gray. “The program helps meet our community goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020 and also helps residents save energy dollars in their homes.”

Research for Kelowna’s 2012 Community Climate Action Plan identified that for 32 per cent of residents, the cost of making energy efficiency home upgrades is a barrier to reducing home energy use. This program provides, at a reduced cost, a step by step process for residents to take advantage of residential rebates for home upgrades that will result in long term energy savings.

“These energy diets have proven to be a very effective way to help customers make energy saving upgrades to their homes.” said Tom Loski, vice-president of customer service for FortisBC.   “In fact, during our Rossland Energy Diet many participants reduced their energy use by 50 per cent or more.”

FortisBC’s Energy Diet specifically supports two goals as outlined in Kelowna’s Community Climate Action Plan. These include partnering with utility companies to implement community-based social marketing programs to encourage energy efficient upgrades, and reducing natural gas and electrical energy consumption in existing buildings by 3 per cent below 2007 levels.

The City of Kelowna joins other Okanagan communities such as Penticton, Keremeos and Osoyoos that will partner with FortisBC to provide residents with direct support in making home energy upgrades.

Quick Facts:
-  Participants will receive a home energy assessment and installation of energy efficiency products, such as: outlet insulation, a low flow shower head, and kitchen tap aerators, for $35- about 90 per cent off the regular price of $400. They can also use the FortisBC energy calculator (fortisbc.com/energycalculator) to compare the costs of different home heating energy sources and individual appliance energy costs.
-  A local energy coach will help customers through the process and offer energy-saving tips along the way.
-  Participants can access up to $4,000 in rebates from LiveSmart BC and up to $2,000 in rebates from FortisBC.
-  Some participants may qualify for loans for completing their energy upgrades. These will show up on their electricity bills, making re-payment simple.
-  Since it was founded in 1989, FortisBC’s PowerSense program has helped Southern Interior electricity customers save more than 445 gigawatt hours. That’s enough electricity to power 35,000 homes every year for twenty four years.

To learn more about the Okanagan Energy Diet and for details about the Kelowna ener-vention event on September 9, visit fortisbc.com/energydiet or call 1-866-436-7847. For more information on the City of Kelowna’s Community Climate Action Plan, visit kelowna.ca/environment.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013
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