PEI - It's Happening
The work to make PEI more self-reliant begins!
In the last week there are a number of actions by the Province that are encouraging. They are both experiments in coping with structural issues such as how are we are going to heat our schools - and also in immediate issues such as how are many going to make it through the winter of 2008/9.
Beginning in the fall of 2008, École Évangéline in Abram-Village will be using a pellet-fuel furnace as its primary heat source, with an oil-heat system used only to supplement the pellet-fuel system. The school now spends approximately $100,000 per year on heating oil, but expects that the addition of the system which burns pelletized wood will dramatically cut its annual bill.
“This burner uses fuel that can be supplied from forest resources or from plant sources grown specifically as fuel, with a carbon emission level much lower than that resulting from the consumption of heating oil,” said Minister Webster.
“The fact that this system can be installed with very little renovation to an existing building suggests that, if this burner performs as we hope, renewable fuel heating systems could be an option for similar institutions hoping to save money while reducing their environmental footprint.”
The $180,000 heating unit is being funded by the provincial government through the Trust Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change.
This installation will be one of a number of biomass systems to be installed in public institutions prior to the 2008/2009 heating season.
This is a small school - $100,000 is a large heating bill. What if it were $200,000? Could be likely in the near future. What if there was a war in Iran and there was no oil for months? This is obviously a great experiment.
Beginning August 1, four new or amended programs for existing homes will be available through the Office of Energy Efficiency. The programs are budgeted at $1 million, with money coming from the Trust Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. An energy audit will be required to be eligible for all of the programs. The new programs include:
Low Income Loan Relief – Low income clients who wish to take advantage of the Prince Edward Island Energy Efficiency Loans Program, will now be eligible for up to
50 per cent loan relief. Up to $15,000 in income - 50 per cent of loan will be written off; between $15,000 and $30,000 in income - 25 per cent of loan will be written off. The program provides loans for home improvement measures recommended in an ecoEnergy Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report.
Renewable Heating - Renewable heating systems (wood, wood-pellet, solar, etc.) will be eligible under the Prince Edward Island Energy Efficiency Loan Program, to a maximum of $10,000, as long as the client makes efficiency improvements to the home as well.
High-Efficiency Oil-fired Heating Systems - An additional subsidy of $300 will be available for Energy Star Certified oil fired heating systems installed in combination with an indirect water heater or an outdoor temperature reset control. This will be supplemented by an additional $1,200 already available in other incentives and grants.
A successful program from last year will be returning:
Home Energy Low-income Program (HELP) - Reinstatement of this program will provide low-income homeowners with free assistance in completing comprehensive air-sealing, installation of energy saving devices and free furnace cleaning. Homeowners who have previously utilized this program will be eligible for the enhanced HELP program. The 2008-09 program is particularly focused on controlling air leakages - the major cause of home energy loss.
These programs are in addition to the Prince Edward Island EcoEnergy Audit Assistance Program and the Prince Edward Island Energy Efficiency Loan and Grant Program that were announced in March of this year. Under these programs the province pays half the cost of a home energy audit for households earning more than $30,000 and the full cost of audits for households earning less than $30,000.
Information on these programs is available on the Office of Energy Efficiency web page at www.gov.pe.ca/oee.
The province is doing it's best to get at the root of the problem - everyone has to be able to reduce their demand. Merely giving money to keep us all living as we were will end in ruin for us all. But there is also room here to take into account that some have no room financially.
My hope is that over the next 6 months we will see more and more ways of also using the knowledge of the community to help each other reduce our demand and also use the community itself to help us all with the work. Barn Building!
