Climate Change and Sustainability

The Clean Home Heating Initiative (CHHI) is a limited-time offer for Peterborough residents to upgrade heating and cooling equipment that can reduce total energy costs and lower household GHG emissions. The CHHI is offering $3,000 to $4,500 rebates to homeowners to install a dual-source heat pump linked to a smart control. The heat pump provides both heating and cooling and will replace a home's traditional air conditioning unit while also providing space heating. A high-efficiency natural gas furnace would still be used for cold winter evenings and during peak electricity rates. The smart control balances the time when the heat pump would be operating in concert with the natural gas furnace to maximize energy cost savings and reduce GHG emissions simultaneously. Participating in the CHHI is estimated to lower home heating bills by $80 per year and reduce GHG emissions by 30% per household.

Apply today to see if your home qualifies.

The City of Peterborough is developing a Home Energy Efficiency Program (HEEP) to support homeowners' finance energy renovations. The energy retrofits will help homeowners reduce energy use by improving the efficiency of the building's envelope and mechanical equipment. Lower energy consumption achieved through renovations will lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, and powering one's home.

Public input is needed to help determine what program features should be considered in the HEEP program design, such as operational and financial preferences for participating homeowners. The feedback survey is open until May 9. To participate in the homeowner survey, you can click here.

The Climate Action at Home video series supports and improves homeowners’ understanding of what should be considered when pursuing a home energy efficiency retrofit. Local expert Chris Magwood, of the Endeavour Centre, describes entry-level DIY renovations that a homeowner could implement which include helpful instructions on how to reinsulate attics, increase the efficiency of water heaters, and simple draft proofing projects. The series also describes what a carbon-neutral home renovation should consider, such as using solar panels, targeting energy efficiency and airtightness, utilizing heat pumps, and carbon offsetting remaining emissions. Check out the video series to learn more.

The solar energy map will support building owners as the first step in deciding if pursuing solar energy technologies like solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal is appropriate for their building. However, contacting a professional solar installation expert is recommended to receive a custom energy assessment before undertaking a solar project.

Adding solar PV or solar thermal to one's roof is an excellent option to reduce GHG emissions associated with building energy consumption. Consider adding solar to your building today!

Green Economy Peterborough (GEP) is a regional economic hub to help businesses reduce costs, improve brand image, and activate employee and customer loyalty through green initiatives, such as energy and water efficiency, and waste reduction.

A project of GreenUP, the local network taps into the expertise of local and national partners - including Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, Green Economy Canada, and the City of Peterborough - to achieve its ultimate aim of building sustainability and resiliency into local business strategy and accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

At its core, GEP is a business network; one where members share experiences, learn together, identify opportunities and publicly celebrate success. Once members, businesses set, achieve and ultimately reap the rewards of beneficial green targets.

GEP supports organizations in overcoming challenges related to capacity and knowledge through coaching, peer learning events, and access to credible tools & resources.

If your business is interested in joining Green Economy Peterborough, please contact natalie.stephenson@greenup.on.ca or visit the website at https://www.greenup.on.ca/green-economy-peterborough/

The Business Energy and Emission Profile (BEEP) is a map-based visualization tool that models the impact of commercial energy use on GHG emissions from Peterborough's business community. A BEEP was created for Peterborough in June 2020 by Vancouver based ClimateSmart. The profile will support Green Economy Peterborough, a low-carbon business hub, to identify areas within the city with high energy consumers. The BEEP dashboard displays business size, sector, and energy activity that the user can select for a given business type or location in Peterborough. There is also an option to evaluate electricity use, building energy, commercial fleets, and operational waste for each business sector.

To access the BEEP go to, http://peterborough.beep.eco/

Climate Change Emergency Declaration

On September 23, 2019, Council heard from over 20 delegations calling for the declaration for the purpose of naming, framing and deepening our commitment to protecting our community, its economy, and its ecosystems from climate change.

Declaration

Whereas:

1. Climate change is the greatest crisis of our times worldwide, harming human and animal populations through extreme storms, severe flooding, record heat waves, prolonged droughts, and other natural disasters
2. Climate change is contributing to billions of dollars in property and infrastructure damage worldwide and is viewed as the major public health threat in Canada for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses and deaths
3. International research has concluded that there is a need for massive carbon emissions reductions within the next 11 years to avoid further devastating damage to our environment, economy, and society
4. Over 450 local governments, including 40 Canadian communities such as Ottawa, London, Hamilton, and Kingston have acknowledged this urgency by officially declaring a climate emergency. They are committed to action to drive down emissions at emergency speed. These Climate Emergency Declarations importantly involve the public and serve as Calls to Action by the Community as well as by Council and other levels of government.

Therefore be it resolved:

That Council, pursuant to its authority under section 10 of the Municipal Act, 2001, hereby declares a climate emergency within the City of Peterborough for the purpose of naming, framing and deepening our commitment to protecting our community, its economy, and its ecosystems from climate change, and,

That staff, working with the PEAC, be requested to also report on the opportunities to:

1. Greatly accelerate timelines for our existing actions to reduce the effects of climate change;
2. Add new actions and proposals to reduce greatly our GHG emissions;
3. Identify the budgetary implications of proposed actions, including opportunities to engage all other levels of government and private sources, to combat climate change;
4. Incorporate a climate change lens into all city actions and policies recognizing the need to achieve a target of 45% GHG emission reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050;
5. Engage and educate the general public regarding this crisis to support the city’s efforts to meet these goals.

This Climate Change and Sustainability forum is a direct result of climate emergency declaration's fifth clause.

In 2016, Sustainable Peterborough developed a Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) for Peterborough and the surrounding townships. The objective of the CCAP is to reduce Peterborough’s GHG emissions, lessen our reliance on fossil fuels, lower our total energy consumption, and adapt to our changing climate. The CCAP identified specific climate actions to support our GHG emissions reduction target of 30% by 2031 from 2011 emission levels.

"We will reduce our contributions to climate change while increasing our ability to adapt to climate change conditions." - CCAP vision statement

Preceding the CCAP, Peterborough developed Our Community Sustainability Plan. This plan looks 25 years into the future to envision what kind of place residents would like to live in. Energy, climate change, water, economic development, employment, waste, transportation, and land-use planning are among the plan's themes.