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September 17, 2014

Efficiency Matters on the Hill is November 18 and non-members who are interested in sponsoring will get not only a big profile with Ottawa decision-makers, but a free CEEA membership. Check out the sponsorship opportunities, or consider registering for a day of meetings with public servants (including Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and Industry Canada), politicians and government members. Participation is free for members and sponsors, but they must cover travel costs. Registration for non-members is $1,000 plus travel costs.

Seven reasons for keeping energy efficiency as a priority in the next federal budget

The potential cuts and spending spree for the next election-friendly federal
are top of mind here in Ottawa. With the House of Commons back in session and pre-budget hearings set to start later this month we need to sing the song of energy efficiency loud and clear. The Office of Energy Efficiency is up

We need the OEE to facilitate Canadian competitiveness. Research from McKinsey shows Canada could become a leader in energy efficient buildings in emerging markets.

for renewal. CEEA has formally made its case in our pre-budget submission, but we are but one of many causes the government will be considering - the finance committee received 418 reports with various recommendations, up from 364 in 2013. MORE BLOG

CEEA MEMBER UPDATES
Union Gas applies to lower rates:  If approved, some Ontario residential customers could expect to receive a cut in their annual natural gas bills of five to nine per cent.

Opower partners with FirstFuel: Known for its behavioural efficiency work in the residential sector, Opower will now be able to collaborate as partners on commercial building efficiency.

Efficiency Nova Scotia's Bright Business Conference: The confab is on October 2 in Halifax. CEEA CEO Elizabeth McDonald will be in a session on driving investment in energy efficiency.

Electricity Human Resources Canada Forum and Awards of Excellence: It's just six weeks away, register and nominate an employee, team or leader in your organization now!

POLICY BRIEF
Canada
Energy Innovations Roundtable Report released: The report is the result of Natural Resources Canada's cross-country meetings earlier this year. The energy
efficiency meeting in Montreal was co-chaired by CEEA's Elizabeth McDonald. It ultimately calls for collaboration and the need to do more, but worth looking at is the chart excerpted in the above blog about technology assessment and
Canadian competitiveness. It concludes Canada could take a lead in the emerging market of energy efficient buildings - but we don't have an advantage in smart grid and geothermal.

 EE Update from Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference: Prepared by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, this report has a shout out on page 10 to CEEA with a reference to our stats on business attitudes on energy costs on lack of awareness about EE programs. It features a number of brief case studies and profiles at the end.

Cross-border regulatory collaboration: Canada and the US have released a plan for collaboration between their regulatory agencies with the goal of making it easier for businesses to operate in both countries.

Canada- China eco-district demonstration project: A signed MOU for this low-carbon project will give a boost to Canadian wood and construction expertise, as Canada surpasses Russia as its largest supplier of softwood lumber.

Nova Scotia
Efficiency Nova Scotia plan approved: Its 2015 plan features a maximum of $35 million for electricity-efficiency and resource-conservation activities.

Australia
Australia kills energy efficiency program: We could see this coming. It's no longer mandatory for energy-intensive companies to identify how to save energy and it's not surprising that Prime Minister Abbott is not going to the UN's climate summit later this month. Neither is Prime Minister Harper.

UK
UK insulation firm cuts 670 jobs after policy change:  A cut in April to the amount of money that energy companies must put into insulation and energy efficiency forced Mark Group to slash jobs after a downturn in work.

EE & BUILDINGS
Empire State building EE retrofit exceeds energy savings: We need a New York state-of-mind, the retrofit has cut $7.5 million in energy costs over the past three years.

European energy efficient building spending to total nearly $800 billion: A Navigant Research report says that is their expectation for 2014 to 2023 and the reason is stringent policies such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

Singapore to squeeze three floors into two: A partnership to build a Swiss-Singapore office building will be more energy and space-efficient thanks to new construction techniques.

PROGRAMS & FINANCING
California regulators boost Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program: The successful program will receive upgrades; it helps lower household energy bills by $400 of the life of efficiency measures.

Baltimore conservation initiative has $52.8 million for old and new programs: The state money over the next three years will also allow businesses and non-profits to borrow $150,000 for improvements.

London UK mayor pledges $19 million for energy efficiency:  Since the Green Deal didn't work, this effort will expand a program to make housing and public buildings more energy efficient.

GREAT READS
Traders profit as power grid is overworked: A fascinating piece from the New York Times on congestion contracts and derivatives.

How an energy efficiency program killed an insulation contracting business:  A first-person account from a contractor about the pitfalls of poorly-designed rebate programs.

EE PRODUCTS & LABELS
Ontario government proposes regulatory changes for appliances and products: The changes cover 23 products as well as proposing automatic updates with the U.S. DOE for test methods and efficiency requirements for 10 products.

New EE label for machinery: A European trade group has designed a new standardized label to show the energy efficiency class of plastic molding machinery.

Set-top boxes that save energy: Consumers saved US$168 million in electricity in 2013 from the improved efficiency of television set-top boxes.

Walmart wants Chinese suppliers to have efficient factories: Walmart can make big moves and this is one. It's inviting up to 70 per cent of its suppliers in China to be part of an energy efficiency program before the end of 2017. It's not yet mandatory.

INNOVATION
Ikea invests in light tiles: Its venture capital arm is investing LED technology from Scotland to deliver on green goals and plans to switch its lighting by September 2015.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Canadian premiers endorse climate change plan:  Set out in the outline for the Canadian Energy Strategy in PEI, this was a huge coup for Quebec and Ontario to have the connection made between climate change and energy strategy.

Fixing climate change may add no costs: A report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate  says ambitious measures to limit emissions will be offset by benefits of  greener policies such as lower fuel and medical costs.

UK government says global climate deal will boost economic prosperity:  The report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change has a vision that next year's climate deal in Paris will improve competitiveness in the UK, EU and around the world. Its philosophy: low-carbon is no longer a niche sector but booming business.

AWARD WINNERS
Three Ontario municipalities receive Community Conservation Awards: Halton Hills, London and Peel Region were recognized by OPA for leadership & innovation.

EE STATS
Cement accounts for 5 per cent of global GHG:  A World Bank report is encouraging waste-heat recovery to cut up to 30 per cent of emissions.

Two-thirds of economic EE potential will remain untapped under existing policies: The IEA report Capturing the Economic Benefits of Energy Efficiency says energy efficiency has the potential to boost economic, social development and build wealth.

US energy efficiency market reached $56 billion in 2013: And green building is at $76 billion with an estimated growth rate of 12-14 per cent; from the Climate Change Business Journal.