Local action on climate change...

Action on climate change needs to start happening at the local level. Cities in particular have the potential to be the biggest leaders on climate change action given that there is a willingness to bring about initiatives. While it is understood that city budgets are often constrained and limited in terms of spending, they need more access to funding from other levels of government. There are numerous things that I can speak to but I want to draw on the region of Waterloo.

Cities in the Waterloo region (Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo) have been very pro-active on climate action initiatives. After all, these cities were among the biggest promoters of the EnerGuide for Houses Program. In short, the EnerGuide for Houses program was formally launched in 1998 and administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency. The impetus for this audit program was to inform homeowners about how much energy they were consuming, and subsequently provided steps to the homeowner about how they could improve the energy efficiency of the house and the expected energy savings. All those who participated in the program noticed energy savings of $750 every year.

Through establishing demand-side management with the local electric utilities company, the region of Waterloo has been effective in tackling climate change. Over the years Waterloo did encounter challenges with obtaining money from the federal government to continue the program. However, all three municipalities in the region have continuously been strong advocates of energy efficiency. Citizens were actively engaged in the program and worked with their local utilities. With civic leadership at the forefront, homeowners were informed about how to retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient. In essence, this is sound municipal and citizen collaboration. The program just needed money to be administered. Remember, cities do not have a large source of revenue and are financially strained when introducing new programs.

Key message: cities need to have access to funding, especially for administering energy audits to ensure that the actions stimulated by the cost incentive are most appropriate or provide the best return for homeowner investment. Local climate action from cities and municipalities are indispensable for raising awareness of the issue and informing people about the merits of energy conservation and the cost savings associated with it. Local programs like EnerGuide for Housing are important for taking meaningful action on climate change.