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Energy efficiency powering Fort McMurray homes, businesses

Energy Efficiency Alberta Vice-President of Program Design and Delivery, Darryl Hill, addresses members at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Feb. 21, 2019. Photo supplied by Phil Wood, News Reporter, Rogers.

Energy Efficiency Alberta (EEA) provided some illuminating facts about Fort McMurray but hinted there’s more the city can do.

At the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Energy Efficiency Alberta vice president Darryl Hill provided an update on the city’s energy-saving programs.

Since 2017, local contractors installed almost 55,000 energy-efficient products upgrading more than seven per cent of homes in Fort McMurray.

“Communities like Fort McMurray are embracing our programs and as a result are saving energy and money. By investing in the province’s energy efficiency, we created more than 2,300 jobs and generated $475 million in ecomonic growth.”

Anything from changing an LED lightbulb on your office desk to contractors installing a tankless hot water heater at your home helps the environment and contributes to the local economy.

Hill says smaller communities took up the challenge and began saving, so he left Fort McMurray with a challenge for the upcoming year.

“You really have an opportunity to install the right equipment, to build to the right standard, [and] continue to save energy. At the end of the day, your operation costs – both in your business and in your home – go way down, so that money goes in your pocket.”

Over a dozen Fort McMurray businesses, contractors, and social profits already signed up for the EEA’s residential, commercial, and industrial programs receiving at least $150,000 in incentives.

As the city becomes more energy efficient, local businesses become larger, and families have more cash to hand from saving energy.

Sign up your home, business, or non-profit organization at the Energy Efficiency Alberta website.

Fast Facts & Figures

  • One in every 14 homes in Fort McMurray upgraded to energy efficient products
  • Local contractors installed 32,500 LED light bulbs, 2,100 bathroom and kitchen faucet aerators, and over 1,600 low-flow showerheads
  • Residents received rebates for almost 420 new high-efficiency appliances such as furnaces, thermostats, and refrigerators.