SURREY, B.C. –  Terasen Gas today announced that it has received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for its new Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) program to provide customers enhanced tools and incentives to manage their natural gas consumption, reduce their energy costs, and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

“This is an important step forward for Terasen Gas as it will not only help our customers to better manage their energy bills, but the reduced consumption will also help eliminate approximately 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the program which is equivalent to taking 3.7 per cent of the vehicles in B.C. off the road,” said Randy Jespersen, Terasen Inc. President and CEO. “The initiatives build on Terasen’s existing and proposed clean energy programs that help mitigate the potential impacts of climate change, including renewable biogas energy projects, compressed natural gas vehicles and the development of residential and commercial energy systems that use renewable and distributed energy sources.”

 

Starting in summer 2009, Terasen Gas Inc. and Terasen Gas (Vancouver Island) Inc. customers will benefit from the new $41.5 million program, which includes rebates and incentives on a number of energy efficient appliances, equipment and systems. The program will include education and outreach initiatives that together with the rebates will increase awareness of the energy efficiency and environmental benefits that can be achieved by using clean burning natural gas in high efficiency appliances. This will allow customers the ability to collectively lower their natural gas bills by approximately $100 million over the life of the program.

 

The initiatives laid out in the Terasen Gas program have the potential to save enough energy over the course of the program to heat almost 100,000 homes.

 

For residential customers, the EEC program will offer rebates on a larger number of appliances including high efficiency fireplaces, water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines. Terasen Gas is committed to developing initiatives and strategies for low income households, and the BCUC approval allows the company to identify, design and implement the availability of energy efficiency plans for these customers.

 

Commercial customers will receive assistance in retrofitting existing boilers with higher efficiency equipment, re-commissioning older buildings, and in the design of highly efficient new construction.

 

Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, is abundant, and is a foundational component of the province’s economic and energy mix. Terasen Gas safely and reliably delivers more than 20 per cent of all the energy consumed in B.C., which is comparable to the amount of electricity used in the province.

 

“Terasen Gas has a history of efficiency and conservation activities, and the BCUC approval builds on many of the key actions called for in the Government of British Columbia’s 2007 Energy Plan,” said Jespersen.

 

Terasen Gas customers will have the opportunity to participate in the program, and those who do could save up to hundreds of dollars on the purchase of efficient equipment and on their annual energy costs. For residential customers, program funding will contribute less than five dollars per year to the costs which are factored into their annual delivery rates.

 

For more information about the EEC program, call 1-866-884-8833 or visit the Terasen Gas website.

 

 

Media contact:
Michael Chisholm
Corporate Communications Manager
Phone: (604) 592-7801
Email: Michael.Chisholm@terasengas.com

 

Natural gas plays a significant role in meeting the residential and commercial energy demands of British Columbians. Terasen Gas delivers more than 20 per cent of the total energy consumed in the province and we are committed to helping British Columbians make the most of the province’s clean, abundant energy supply by offering incentives to help customers save energy, lower their energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) approved $41,495,000 for Terasen Gas’ Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) program. The money will be used by Terasen Gas to fund several initiatives such as rebates for the purchase of higher efficiency appliances, as well as enhance several of our current energy efficiency initiatives and incentives for both our commercial and residential customers.

 

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation program builds on Terasen Gas’ ongoing energy conservation efforts over the past six years that have helped our customers reduce their annual consumption by almost one million gigajoules, save more than $7 million and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 50,000 tonnes to date.

Starting in summer 2009, Terasen Gas residential and commercial customers will begin benefiting from the EEC program through access to a wider number of initiatives; assistance with reducing energy consumption, thereby lowering customer energy bills; and reducing the individual and societal impacts associated with energy use.

 

We anticipate that, through the program, Terasen Gas customers will be able to:

The Energy Efficiency initiative is the major component of the EEC program. Customers have become attuned to environmental issues, with energy choice and use at the forefront. There is increased customer and public desire for finding new ways to manage energy bills, and reducing their environmental footprints by using less energy. Under the Energy Efficiency initiative, Terasen Gas residential and commercial customers will be offered expanded incentives and rebates on a greater number of energy efficient appliances and equipment for both new construction and retrofit projects.

 

For residential customers, the Energy Efficiency initiative includes incentives to encourage customers to install energy efficient appliances such as EnerChoice fireplaces, more efficient water heaters, and for customers with natural gas water heaters, higher efficiency Energy Star® dishwashers and washing machines.  

 

Commercial customers will receive incentives to offset the cost of installing condensing and near-condensing boilers, recommissioning older buildings, efficient domestic hot water heating equipment and designing new buildings to perform at efficiency levels up to 60 per cent below the Model National Energy Code for Buildings.

This initiative will provide assistance to British Columbians who currently use propane, fuel oil and wood to convert to natural gas. This initiative will help more British Columbians significantly reduce their greenhouse gas and other emissions and to take advantage of the province’s abundant natural gas resources.

The Terasen Gas EEC program allocates almost $7 million to an extensive conservation education and outreach initiative to educate British Columbians about energy issues and conservation. Through the Conservation Education and Outreach initiative, Terasen Gas will help its customers by highlighting specific ways they can better manage their existing energy consumption, focusing on no and low-cost ways to save on their natural gas bills. This initiative includes outreach activities for all ages, including school children and post secondary education students in our service regions.

We are continuing to work with other B.C. utilities, various levels of government and community organizations to help all British Columbians have access to tools that will help them become more energy efficient. This will include up to $3 million to invest in initiatives aimed at creating targeted energy-efficiency programs for customers in low income brackets, which will allow them to save money, reduce consumption and live in healthy, comfortable homes.