{"id":267683,"date":"2019-11-19T11:31:22","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T16:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/canadians-can-unite-behind-energy-efficiency\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T22:43:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T02:43:57","slug":"canadians-can-unite-behind-energy-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2019\/11\/canadians-can-unite-behind-energy-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians can unite behind energy efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climate and energy policy news is filled with talk of regional tensions over pipelines and carbon taxes. These policy debates become regional ones because certain provinces are rich in particular resources, such as oil and hydroelectricity. While many energy production methods are regionally concentrated, energy waste is everywhere. That means there is an energy efficiency resource <\/em>to be found in houses, businesses, and transportation systems throughout the country, and taking advantage of this resource is a goal that can unite our political leaders.<\/p>\n

Energy efficiency is a must for any energy and climate change strategy. It creates jobs, improves affordability, and makes all industries more productive. If every province and territory were to implement comprehensive energy efficiency policies, those energy savings would add up to be a large national resource. The energy we save could meet 40 percent of our national energy needs<\/a> by 2050, the International Energy Agency estimates. In other words, if we don\u2019t focus on efficiency, we will need to produce more energy to move goods and people, operate factories, and heat and light our buildings. Needing to service an extra 40 percent of our energy needs could put our climate-change targets out of reach.<\/p>\n

Yet, higher-performance building codes, utility programs, appliance standards, and industrial energy-management systems often fly under the political radar. These policies deserve more attention, especially considering that 436,000 Canadians<\/a> work in energy efficiency, which is more than the oil and gas and telecommunications sectors.<\/p>\n

Provincial policy-makers need a way to track best practices and compare notes on programs and policies, and as a nation we should be encouraging friendly competition across the provinces to maximize their efficiency potential.<\/p>\n

This is why Efficiency Canada launched our nation\u2019s first provincial energy efficiency scorecard<\/em><\/a>. We are a research and advocacy group based out of Carleton University dedicated to building an energy-efficient economy. Our scorecard provides a comprehensive, transparent and evidence-based way to benchmark energy-efficiency policies across five areas: programs, enabling policies, buildings, transportation and industry.<\/p>\n

This year, British Columbia placed first. Its high score is driven by the BC Energy Step Code, which provides a path towards net-zero energy-ready buildings, increased natural-gas savings targets, and support for vehicle electrification.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Scorecard also highlights different areas of leadership across the country. Quebec leads in transportation, and Nova Scotia leads in programs. Ontario is the only province with a mandatory energy reporting requirement for buildings. PEI is making significant investments in energy upgrades for low-income households. Efficiency Manitoba is a new Crown corporation overseeing provincewide energy savings targets enshrined in legislation. Alberta is implementing innovative approaches to attract financial investors to upgrading buildings, and Saskatchewan was the first to adopt the latest version of the National Energy Code for Buildings. All provinces have unique strengths and are contributing to creating a more efficient economy.<\/p>\n

All provinces also have many opportunities to improve. We set a maximum score out of 100, with no province achieving above 60. Looking south of the border shows that even the top Canadian provinces could be saving more. For instance, the highest annual electricity savings are found in Ontario and Nova Scotia: 1.4 percent and 1.3 percent of sales respectively, yet leading American states<\/a> are consistently saving 2-3 percent of sales.<\/p>\n

There are also common gaps across all provinces where the federal government could enable further provincial action. A federal initiative to unite provinces to build a more energy-efficient economy should therefore include:<\/p>\n