Province announces funding to help municipalities cut energy costs

Article content material

The Alberta authorities introduced $18 million in funding Thursday to assist municipalities grow to be extra power environment friendly and scale back their prices.

Rebecca Schulz, minister of Atmosphere and Protected Areas, stated municipalities will be capable to apply for grant funding via the Municipal Local weather Change Motion Centre, which can create new power conservation, emissions discount and different packages. Municipal initiatives may embrace changing home windows, upgrading lights and bettering arenas, group centres and different buildings.

Article content material

Article content material

“We all know that energy-efficient upgrades could be costly and that it may be costly for communities to cowl the complete upfront value, particularly now when the price of residing continues to rise,” stated Schulz throughout a information convention Thursday.

With the province’s announcement supporting energy-efficiency initiatives for municipalities, Schulz didn’t commit Thursday to a grant program for Albertans to enhance their houses’ power effectivity, just like the federal authorities’s Greener Properties program.

That program, launched in 2021, gives Canadians with a grant of as much as $5,000 for power effectivity enhancements to their houses, however media experiences say new purposes are anticipated to be accepted solely till the top of March resulting from its reputation.

“I believe the premier has actually stated that we’re focused on a wide range of totally different packages and methods to lowering that we are able to spend money on emission discount, whether or not that be for particular person residents, for municipalities like via this program announcement we’re making at the moment or the investments we make into a few of our greater emitters and our greater business,” stated Schulz.

Article content material

Schulz added: “There are a variety of issues we’re on all of these ranges. I might say extra to return, doubtless within the spring, after the funds is launched.”

Airdrie Deputy Mayor Tina Petrow, director of cities as much as 500,000 for Alberta Municipalities, praised the province Thursday for offering the brand new funding.

“With entry to any such funding, our municipalities are in a position to decide on the instruments that work greatest for them that meet the very best wants for his or her communities,” she stated.

Trina Innes, govt director of the Municipal Local weather Change Motion Centre, stated Thursday the grant funding will assist a variety of packages, together with energy-efficiency initiatives in municipal buildings and staffing grants for municipal power managers.

“As our group heads into its fifteenth yr of operations in 2024, this funding will assist us proceed serving to municipalities and communities of all sizes be proactive with power options that even have social, monetary and environmental advantages,” she stated.

Article content material