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Kamloops News

Kamloops homeowners will have opportunity to make homes more energy efficient

Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

KAMLOOPS - The city of Kamloops wants to offer homeowners a chance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency in 100 existing homes across the city.

The city's sustainability services supervisor Glen Cheetham spoke at council's regular meeting yesterday, Aug. 28, about the home renovation rebate program introduced by the province.

The $24 million energy program is being funded by the provincial and federal governments with some financial contributions coming from participating municipalities. The program allows B.C. Hydro, Fortis B.C., and B.C. Housing to administer incentive rebates to homeowners locally. Cheetham explained to council what that will look like to a homeowner.

"The goal is that a homeowner will be incentivized to commission a home energy assessment advisor," Cheetham says, adding that in Kamloops, the market cost for an initial and post energy assessment typically range from $600 to $800.

In order to receive a $150 incentive from the city and a $300 incentive from the province, a homeowner must do both a pre- and post-assessment for their home.

"The first assessment would be, the energy advisor would come to a resident's home...take measurements, look at the wall assemblies, mechanical systems and basically provide the homeowner with some understanding of their current energy profile," Cheetham says.

An energy advisor would also provide homeowners with insight on how to improve energy efficiency and other available rebates, Cheetham says.

"The energy advisor is only one component, there are also other incentives the province will be announcing," he says. "For folks that actually conduct measures that will improve efficiencies, they'll get a certain amount of money per gigajoule saved per year for up to about $2,000."

Coun. Arjun Singh praised the program saying it was a step in the right direction for the city's sustainability objectives.

"It's great we are starting with incentives, we want to enable before we start to regulate," he says.

Cheetham says if the program receives positive feedback there is room to expand past the initial 100 homes.

"There's many (homes) that could use an energy tune-up, so this is a start," he says.

Councillors voted unanimously yesterday to allocate $15,000 from the Climate Action Fund reserve for the program. The program is anticipated to roll out at the end of September, according to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.


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