Newmarket stays in line with province by passing Community Energy Plan

Yorkregion.com
June 18, 2016
By Chris Simon

Newmarket wants to shrink your carbon footprint.

Council officially adopted a Community Energy Plan for the municipality during a meeting last week. The move makes Newmarket one of the first jurisdictions in Ontario to adopt a plan, which is seen as a step toward the development of a more sustainable local power system within the next 15 years.

The plan calls for the reduction of per capita primary energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the town by 40 per cent by 2031, when compared to 2013 baseline levels. This will be done through the introduction of incentive programs that encourage home and building energy efficiency retrofits, such as the replacement of aging windows and heating and cooling equipment and insulation and lighting upgrades, for example. It also suggests labelling buildings that have participated in town efficiency programs and encouraging the use of solar energy systems and development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The municipality will also hire a full-time energy manager for about $75,000 per year.

“Newmarket has put forward a clear, ambitious plan that has incredible potential and provides a detailed blueprint for energy sustainability in our community,” Regional Councillor John Taylor said. “A shockingly large amount of money is spent, every year, by the residents of Newmarket on energy. Some of this planning will also be a form of economic development and keeping dollars within our community. We recognize the success of this plan requires partnership from other levels of government who, in the future, we will be looking to in an effort to facilitate our success. Every level of government has a role to play. In the meantime, council is doing its part on behalf of residents to address this very important issue. It’s a significant item.”

Residential properties are responsible for about 38 per cent of the town’s total energy use, a number that is higher than Ontario and global averages, due largely to the municipality’s older stock of low density homes, town policy senior planner Adrian Cammaert said, in a report to council.

The town hopes 80 per cent of homes and 60 per cent of commercial and institutional properties will participate in its retrofit program by 2031.

“This is a very significant achievement,” Mayor Tony Van Bynen said. “I see this as the framework on how we’ll go forward in the future. It’s a very ambitious undertaking, but a necessary one. It’s going to create value for the homes in the longer term. This is really exciting.”

Newmarket’s document has been in development for a while. The municipality successfully applied for funding through the Ministry of Energy in 2013, then partnered with Lura Consulting to develop the plan in late 2014.

The document aims to keep Newmarket energy distribution largely within the borders of the municipality, Lura vice president Susan Hall said.

“About 40 per cent of (energy) is lost before it gets to the end user,” she said. “This plan is about how to make that system more efficient and keep more of that energy here in Newmarket to provide to end users. This plan is about trying to keep more dollars in the community.”

Each resident produced about six tons of CO2, on average, in 2013. The community spent about $245 million on energy that year, with a majority of the money covering distribution costs outside of the town, Hall said.

By 2031, the community could spend between $384 million and $594 million on energy, depending on the action it takes to make the system more efficient, she said.

Newmarket’s document also feeds into the province’s recently announced Climate Change Action Plan, which includes a number of recommendations that will overhaul the way we use energy in the years to come. The province’s plan pushes for cleaner transportation networks, introduces a cap and trade system, invests money into home and business greenhouse gas reduction projects, increases the availability of zero-emission vehicles and establishes a ‘green bank’ to help people access and finance energy-efficient technologies, among other recommendations.

Ontario’s strategy aims to cut provincial greenhouse gas pollution to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

“Newmarket's CEP commits the town to being a sustainable community that demonstrates leadership and innovation in how it manages its energy use,” Cammaert said. “The plan examines and provides the town with economic, energy security and environmental benefits, and includes specific recommendations with timelines and budgetary considerations.”