| Category | Government Institution |
|---|---|
| Status | Finalist |
| Year | 2009 |
| Nominee | City of Medicine Hat |
| Project | HAT Smart Renewable Energy and Conservation Program |
| Summary Of Activity | In 2008, the City of Medicine Hat released a Community Environmental Roadmap complete with performance measures and targets. To assist the community in reaching the energy related targets, the City developed a residential renewable energy and conservation program under its environmental brand, HAT Smart. The objective of the program is to educate and assist residents in managing the environmental and economic impact of their household energy consumption. The program offers HAT Smart financial incentives for residential energy assessments, energy efficient home upgrades and renewable energy installations. The cornerstone of the program is monthly Energy Conservation Seminars. Each attendee receives a financial incentive towards a residential energy efficiency assessment performed by an energy advisor certified by Natural Resources Canada. Only homes that have undergone the assessment are then eligible for grants offered by both the federal government and the HAT Smart Renewable Energy and Conservation Program. |
| Barriers/Challenges To Success | Several challenges to the success of this program were encountered. The first was in the education of the public to environmental issues in general and to the HAT Smart program in particular. To correct for this, education has been emphasized and promoted and is the primary focus of the program. To this end, we have created and hired for two term positions in the Environment Department. The first is for an Energy Conservation Coordinator who is responsible for the home audits. The second position was for a Technical Assistant whose focus is on Education and Outreach. The monthly Energy Conservation Seminars are a major push for education and awareness. Attendance at the seminar is required to receive a discount coupon covering 50 percent of the cost of the residential energy efficiency assessment. Since the assessment is required to qualify the homeowner for any of the grants that are available from both the federal ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes program and the HAT Smart program, the discount coupon is a strong motivator for people to attend the seminar. To further assist with public education, we have made Home Energy Self Audit Toolkits available through the Medicine Hat Public Library. The Home Energy Self Audit Tool Kit is designed to help the homeowner see where they can improve efficiencies in their own home. The Self-Audit Tool Kits are located at the Medicine Hat Public Library and are available for loan within the city and also branch-to-branch through the Shortgrass Library System. Another challenge to the success of this program was a certain lack of trust between the community and the City of Medicine Hat as the City also regulates all the utilities. Again, emphasis has been placed on education. The seminars are offered free of charge, as are the home audits and use of the Self-Audit Tool Kits. Customers can inquire regarding the status of their accounts and ask about grants and rebates available through the HAT Smart program. We also offer a lot of free informational brochures and papers to assist customers in making informed choices. Raising funds was an additional challenge to the success of this program. We have been extremely fortunate in that City Council has recognized the value of the program; has been fully supportive of our endeavours; and has made the necessary funding available in order to make this program a success. |
| Contact |
Mr. Russell Smith Environment Manager City of Medicine Hat |
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580 First Street SE Medicine Hat, AB T1A 8E6 |
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| Telephone | 403-529-8188 |
| Fax | 403-502-8061 |
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Contact through Email |
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http://www.hatsmart.ca |
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