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Clean Energy Improvement law inches ahead

Could be in place by 2022, says Hansen
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City council has started work on a new law that could help residents renovate their homes to save energy and fight global heating. 

St. Albert council approved a recommendation from the Environmental Advisory Committee March 15 as part of its consent agenda to draw up a Clean Energy Improvement Program and bylaw for consideration at a future meeting. 

The Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) is a provincial program based on Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), which is an initiative meant to help homeowners overcome the high up-front costs of energy efficiency upgrades.  

Instead of paying the full cost of a solar panel up front, for example (and risk not getting your money back through energy savings before you sell your home), CEIP sees a municipality put up the money and earn it back over time through a tax levy on the property. The levy sticks with the property, so the owner doesn’t “lose” money if they sell early, and is typically low enough to be offset by the energy savings of the efficiency improvements, resulting in no net costs. 

A report to the environmental committee in January found St. Albert could add $17 million to its economy and save homeowners about $4.1 million if it ran a four-year, $5-million CEIP program.  

The province has said any money borrowed for CEIP would not count against a city’s debt limit, said Coun. Jacquie Hansen, who sits on the environmental committee.  

Hansen said she has heard from a lot of residents who are interested in this program and hopes it would see a lot of uptake should it be implemented.  

“This is an option for our taxpayers to put some new value into their homes from a climate point of view.”  

Hansen said a CEIP program could be in place by 2022.  


Kevin Ma

About the Author: Kevin Ma

Kevin Ma joined the St. Albert Gazette in 2006. He writes about Sturgeon County, education, the environment, agriculture, science and aboriginal affairs. He also contributes features, photographs and video.
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