Sunday, May 5, 2019 ~ LANGFORD
~ by Mary P Brooke, West Shore Voice News
“It’s great to be here to see a young company that started five years ago with two owners – Jordan and Marshal – and now has 20 employees,” said Premier John Horgan during a CleanBC Better Homes announcement in his Langford-Juan de Fuca constituency on April 26.
“This is the fastest-growing community, with new builds,” said Horgan.
Horgan said the Better Buildings efficiency rebates program will address the energy inefficiencies of old housing stock, and homeowners can save money.
Reducing energy costs helps save the planet and provides new business opportunities.
“It’s always good to find better ways to help the planet while managing costs,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young.
Langford’s mayor explained that the row of manufacturing spaces along Leigh Road where RedBlue Heating and Refrigeration company is located sold out quickly. As more spaces are built in the area, businesses fill them, he said.
RedBlue specializes in the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions in residential and commercial settings.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest in the CleanBC rebate program from both home and business owners,” said Jordan Owen, co-owner, RedBlue.
Provincial incentives to help switch to high-efficiency electric heat pumps for space heating have increased by $1,000 (total rebate $3,000). Similar incentives to upgrade doors and windows also increased by $1,000 (total rebate $2,000).
Homeowners can also apply for up to $700 in incentives for highest efficiency natural gas furnaces. In total, the CleanBC plan provides up to $14,100 for a home. A fossil fuel (oil, propane or natural gas) heating system can be replaced with an electric air-source heat pump.
Commercial building owners can receive up to $20,000 to complete energy studies that identify cost-effective improvements and up to $200,000 for the improvements themselves.
Every dollar spent on energy efficiency programs generates between $4 to $8 of gross domestic product, says the Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources. Energy efficiency in Canada improved by 25% between 1990 and 2014. This improvement helped avoid more than 85 million tonnes of carbon pollution and saved Canadians more than $38 billion.
===========
This article was first published on page 4 in the April 26/May 3 weekend edition of West Shore Voice News.