Shelter & Energy Theme Team

The Shelter and Energy Team looked at how the Highlands could best respond to increasing energy costs through policies and projects that stimulate energy conservation and renewable energy. From energy retrofits to biodiesel to energy conservation education, the team explored which options would work best in our area.

Notes from December 6th, 2006 Meeting

The Context

From Lanark Highlands Official Plan, March 2003 The Vision (Section 2.4), #8 "The intent of this Plan is to manage renewable and non-renewable natural resources, conserve energy and water as well as promote the reduction, re-use and recycling of waste in the Township."

The future, at best, holds a great deal of uncertainty regarding energy supply and energy security. Factors at work are likely to be:

■ Concerns regarding climate change and the impact of burning fossil fuels

■ Decrease supply of energy, especially in the supply of electricity to meet provincial demand, and the

possibility of peak oil with a global gap between a decreasing production and increasing demand

■ Potential disruption to global energy supply as a result of natural disasters, political turmoil, and

threats of terrorism

The net results of global forces are likely to mean the following to Lanark Highlands:

■ Increasing costs for all forms of energy, well above the rate of inflation. This could have a significant

impact on household budgets, especially for low-income/fixed-income homes

■ A growing emphasis on conservation and energy efficiency

■ A growing emphasis on using local, renewable energy supplies

■ Encourage local (distributed) power, whether at the household level (i.e. off-grid) or from local

resources such as wind or hydro power

■ Preparing for future brown-outs, black-outs and other disruption of the conventional energy

distribution

Things to be done

One of the general challenges is finding the balance between education and regulation, and how to encourage change without necessarily dictating or regulating.

Education

■ Retrofitting existing homes for energy-efficiency

■ Building for energy-efficiency

■ Renewable energy/off-grid housing

■ Bio-diesel for transportation

■ Trades and building: building inspectors, contractors, material suppliers

Energy-efficiency improvements

■ Retrofit low-income/fixed income homes

■ EPA wood stoves: this would increase efficiency, reduce wood use, and improve outdoor and indoor

air quality

■ Could explore a revolving fund for lease/retrofit: this could allow for low-cost loans for renewable

energy systems or major energy retrofit

■ A municipal green building code: the township has the authority to improve energy-efficiency

standards in a cost-effective way

■ Planning for energy efficiency, efficient transportation, and protection of natural environment

■ Support for people building off-grid

Renewable Energy

■ managed sustainable wood lots

■ solar water heating and solar electricity

■ wind

■ water power, i.e. Lanark and Clayton

■ bio-diesel

Direct implications to the Township of Lanark Highlands

■ Retrofit municipal facilities

■ Purchasing policies to support/encourage sustainability

■ Investigate local building code provisions

■ Investigate scale of permit/development fees geared to encouraging efficiency

■ Investigate energy-rating program, perhaps geared to building permits

Potential projects

■ Workshops on energy efficiency/renewable energy (with LL Green)

■ Pilot income-eligible electricity retrofit program (with LL Green)

Tasks for the next meeting:

1) Investigate municipal role in building code/regulations, including:

■ by-laws for Energy Star level

■ justification for minimum energy rating

■ summarize options for the township

2) Role of planning for efficiency

■ challenges for growth and planning for efficiency and protecting the natural environment

■ Lanark as growth centre (with water and sewage plans)

■ Growth of other communities without triggering need for centralized services

3) Education: Who needs to get what information

■ General public

■ Municipal officials i.e. building inspector

■ Trades training