OTTAWA -- Three commercial building projects in Alberta are being rewarded for making their new buildings more energy-efficient. The Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, announced that PCL Learning Centre in Edmonton, River Valley School in Sundre and the Spruce Grove City Hall in Spruce Grove have qualified to receive financial incentives under Natural Resources Canada's Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP).
"The Government of Canada and these Alberta organizations are pooling efforts to make a difference in addressing climate change," explained Minister McLellan. "Organizations that increase energy efficiency in their buildings help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money at the same time."
The CBIP funding amounts to $127,260 for all three buildings. CBIP offers financial incentives for incorporating energy efficiency features into new commercial, institutional and multi-unit residential building designs that are at least 25 percent more efficient than a reference building that complies with the Model National Energy Code for Building (MNECB). These projects, on average, are about 42 per cent better than the MNECB. The three projects combined are expected to annually save $67,334, or an average $6.38 per square metre, in energy costs and collectively produce 801 tonnes fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Since 1998, CBIP has contributed to more than 580 new building projects and has demonstrated that new buildings can be constructed to consume approximately half the energy of standard buildings at little or no extra cost, with the corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. For more details on CBIP, a program within Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency, visit the Web site at www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/newbuildings.
The CBIP program is part of the Government of Canada's plan to address climate change, and is a component of Project Green. The policies and programs under Project Green address environmental initiatives for the 21st century, including measures to conserve our biodiversity, protect our water, clean up contaminated sites and ensure cleaner and healthier air.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Three new building projects in Alberta have been awarded incentives for their use of energy-efficient technologies. The three projects will receive a combined total of $127,000 from the Commercial Building Incentive Program, which offers financial incentives for incorporating energy efficiency features into new building projects.
For more information, media may contact:
Ghyslain Charron
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
(613) 992-4447
Tom Ormsby
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
Natural Resources Canada
(613) 996-2007
NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.