District of Squamish has secured funding to hire a Senior Energy Specialist.
It is a two-year position and the specialist will focus on energy efficiency in buildings.
The specialist will commission energy assessments of all corporate facilities and communicate results to the public as part of the future District Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan.
The district will also take part in a proposal to create a “concierge” service that supports residents to transition to a heat pump in their home.
This program will provide support and access to funding, and a streamlined service for residents to make the transition to a heat pump.
The district will try to provide additional incentives to install air-source heat pumps as replacements for natural gas furnaces in addition to the provincial incentives.
As part of this plan, the district will work with regional governments on a 10-year campaign to market fuel-switching from heating oil, propane and natural gas to heat pumps.
The actions are driven by a specific goal of the district’s Community Climate Action Plan, which is to “decarbonize existing buildings”.
It is one among the six “Big Moves” the district has been working on since March to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the community.
Hiring the specialist is also part of the move towards decarbonizing existing buildings.
The district aims for at least 40% private homes to have completed energy retrofits and 6% to have installed zero-carbon energy systems.
The district estimates it would result in a projected reduction of 1,700 tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
