City Chosen as Future Benchmark for Smart Energy Communities

Published on January 29, 2019

The city of Beaconsfield, Quebec, was chosen by QUEST, a Canadian non-profit organization,  to be one of the first communities from all over Canada that will set the benchmark for energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions; which will be used to assess the progress and development of other Canadian Smart Energy Communities.

Andrew Duffield, Beaconsfield’s Director of Sustainable Development, said that Smart Energy Communities are an initiative driven by QUEST to improve the energy efficiency and energy reliability of communities across Canada, and to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and costs surrounding energy consumption as well.

Once QUEST’s evaluation is complete, a Scorecard Report will be presented to Beaconsfield, which is guided by six technical and six policy principles, such as: reduce waste, manage heat, use renewable energy sources, and match energy options to the local context.

Beaconsfield’s Scorecard Report will be used as the benchmark to compare future Smart Energy Communities, so that they will already have a foundation to help improve energy efficiency.

Duffield said that once the results from Beaconsfield’s Scorecard Report have been tested and refined, communities across Canada will be able to access it free of charge, allowing more cities to improve their energy efficiency.

For Beaconsfield specifically, many homes were built in the 1950’s and still use inefficient methods of heating, namely oil-based furnaces.

For these homes, Duffield mentioned that there are affordable retrofits that can reduce the need of running their oil furnace by up to 80 percent, and that they have a very short payback period.

Make Affordable Retrofits at Home and Save Money on Utility Bills

Similar to the Beaconsfield homes built in the 1950’s, your home may only need a few small and affordable retrofits to improve its energy efficiency and save you money on utility bills - even if it was built more recently than the 1950’s.

By making energy efficiency upgrades, you may notice that your home not only becomes significantly cheaper to heat, cool, and operate, but that it also becomes much more comfortable and enjoyable to live in, and that the air quality has improved - meaning you can breathe easier and live without fear of unwanted smoke or pollen intruding.

A Home Energy Assessment can show you exactly which retrofits would be the most cost-effective for you to consider, allowing you to make an informed decision, and giving you the confidence of knowing you are investing in the right improvements. Additionally, the assessment can indicate the expected energy and financial returns of each retrofit, allowing you to budget and plan accordingly.

For homeowners in Ontario, both Union Gas and Enbridge are offering rebates of up to $5,000 for home renovations that improve energy efficiency. Having BSG conduct a Home Energy Assessment can help you qualify, and our Registered Energy Advisors are happy to help you determine which retrofits would provide you with the largest rebates, as well as the most significant improvements to energy efficiency.