One of the innovations identified through the virtual mayors meeting held in 2013 as part of MC3 was the EcoSave Energy Retrofits Program in Nelson, BC. This program makes it easy for residents to retrofit their homes and businesses to make them more energy efficient. Participation in the program begins with an energy assessment from a professional assessment company, which results in a list of actions that the home or business owner can take to reduce their energy consumption. What makes this program so innovative is the use of on-bill financing to reduce the upfront costs of the retrofits. Participants who opt for on-bill financing pay for their investments over time through the savings on their energy bills.
The Kootenay region seems to be a hot bed for these kind of local government-led, building energy retrofit programs; Energy Diets are currently underway or have taken place in almost every community in that part of BC. But communities across BC are running similar programs. Power Down Campbell River, Energy Save New West and Better Off in North Cowichan are just three of the many examples across the province. A report by the Community Energy Association summarizes the learnings from these initiatives and points to the importance of leveraging long-term relationships with contractors and coordinating incentives from a variety of sources. The report found that a well-organized retrofit campaign can have a significant impact on building energy efficiency in a community.