Ontario Energy Minister Promotes 5-Point Energy Conservation Plan for Small Businesses

Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli focused on the province’s new five-point plan to help small businesses save money during a visit to Woodstock last week, reports Woodstock Sentinel-Review reporter Bruce Chessell in a recent article. The plan helps mitigate electricity rate increases for small businesses by offering enhanced conservation programs. In partnership with local distribution companies (LDCs) and key agencies, the plan will help small businesses conserve energy, manage costs and save money.

Speaking with local officials and business owners at a round-table meeting, Chiarelli said the initiative complements existing conservation programs offered to businesses through local electricity distribution companies. “There are very significant ways that businesses can access these programs to reduce the amount they have to pay on electricity bills,” Chiarelli said, “and it also causes a reduction in consumption, which reduces the overall costs in the system.”

Chiarelli used the example of Home Depot, which has 161 outlets in Ontario and uses available the conservation programs. Since 2012, Chiarelli said the company has been able to reduce its consumption using these conservation programs by 29 million kilowatt hours. The government will be promoting these programs through local utilities. “For every dollar they invest in conservation, there’s two dollars in savings that comes into the system,” he said.

Five-point plan

The five points the Ontario government will be using to promote energy conservation for small business include:

1. promoting the use of roving energy managers to provide short-term support and assistance on conservation projects

2. marketing business conservation — 3,000 homes off the grid,” he said. “In other words, they’re saving the electricity that would normally be used by 3,000 homes.” This effort reduces cost in bills programs

3. enhancing the saveONenergy for Business conservation program

4. making on-bill financing available

5. providing long-term stable funding for small business conservation initiatives

Find out more about the program: http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/saving-energy-for-business/helping-small-businesses-save-energy/.

Chart sourced from http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/saving-energy-for-business/helping-small-businesses-save-energy/.