Natural Gas

Natural gas is primarily used to heat buildings and water in homes, businesses and industry. In BC, natural gas produces significantly more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than electricity because our electricity comes from relatively low GHG sources. Decreasing the amount of energy needed to heat buildings and water through energy efficiency and finding other energy sources to provide these functions are two effective ways to reduce natural gas use.

GHGs from total community natural gas use (2006): 52,573 tonnes

GHGs from natural gas use for municipal operations (2004): 1,579 tonnes

GHGs from natural gas use for South Peace Community Multiplex (2007): 984 tonnes

Cost of natural gas for municipal operations (2004): $258,000

Cost of natural gas for the South Peace Community Multiplex (2007): $143,000

Community-Wide actions

$1000 Discount Towards Solar Water Heating Systems

"The SolarBC new homes program will provide $1,000 discount and demonstrate to builders and developers how they can simply and effectively include solar hot water systems in new home projects and developments..." - solarbc.ca

Local Solar Contractors:

• EPSCAN INDUSTRIES LTD. - Electrical & instrumentation 600-113 Ave., Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2Y6 Dan Pingitore (Branch Manager) 250-782-9656 (Phone) 250-782-9674 (Fax) http://www.epscan.com
• PUMA POWER - Alternative Energy Solutions (Solar - Wind) Gary Ackles - can_do@telus.net 1-800-279-4043 or 250-759-4419 (h) or 250-309-3173 (c)

100,000 Solar Roofs

Because of our early adoption of solar technology in BC, we were asked to chair a task force called "The 100,000 Solar Roofs Policy Task Force" which will act as a deployment strategy to incorporate solar energy into British Columbia's energy portfolio. The task force has submitted its final report to the Province, outlining a series of recommendations for moving forward with the 100,000 solar roofs project.

Local Improvement Charges (LICs) (85 KB)

Solar-ready by-law

This by-law will require new homes to be solar ready. This by-law is still in draft stages.

Cost of energy efficiency and solar hot water in Dawson Creek

Dawson Creek commissioned a study - Energy Efficiency and Solar Improvements in Dawson Creek (1,196 KB) - to investigate the increased costs of building more energy efficient homes and installing solar hot water systems. The study found that by combining energy efficiency and solar hot water, these improvements have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 35% and 41% compared to standard building practices today. In addition, due to reduced energy consumption, they could provide a net benefit of between $2,000 and $5,000 to homeowners.

Municipal operations actions

Conservation

• Building audits and retrofits - Dawson Creek audited 7 municipal buildings
• Energy Audits report from Demand Side Energy (attached)

On-site renewables

Solar hot water - Dawson Creek is a leader in the installation of solar hot water heaters on its municipal buildings. To date, solar hot water heaters have been installed on:

• City Hall
• Fire Hall
• RCMP Building
• Sudeten Hall
• Airport
• Public Works Yard

Bio-energy

• Dawson Creek commissioned a study - Potential for Bio-energy in Dawson Creek (1,854 KB)- on potential available biomass fuel resources in the area that could be used to heat municipal buildings. The report concluded that the seed grass straw and the MSW wood waste stream are available in sufficient volume to power all of the heating needs in the three identified clusters. With the installation of three biomass burners and distribution systems, the City could save between $177,000 and $250,000 in heating costs annually as compared to heating with natural gas. As well, over a period of 25 years carbon replacement credits would be generated with a total value of at least $575,000.

Education

• Northern Lights College - Dawson Creek has been working with Northern Lights College to develop curriculum around solar PV technology. As a result of the City's involvement, the College already offers solar hot water installation training.
• Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT) - Dawson Creek has been working in conjunction with NEAT to provide education to City staff on a variety of sustainability issues, including energy conservation.

Green Buildings Policy

The policy includes strategies to reduce energy use, ensure green procurement, improve health, revolving green financing, and continuous improvement of the policy.
Green Operating Policy for Buildings (338 KB)