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Money there for the taking

Rebates for business and low-income families

Essentially, the money is there for the taking. That’s what Thomas Knight, planning manager for the community energy and emissions plan, City of Powell River, said of the rebates available to small business and low-income families under BC Hydro and FortisBC money-back energy savings programs.

BC Hydro has a product-incentive program that is well-suited to small and medium-sized business and provides rebates for energy efficient lighting. But, as Knight explained, it is a program that has been popular mostly among big businesses in larger centres.

“There are many programs out there that are under-utilized but that wind up saving people good money,” said Knight. “For some reason it’s only businesses in larger cities that are taking advantage. It’s low-hanging fruit that is there for the taking.”

Knight has been working with BC Hydro and FortisBC, along with the Malaspina Sierra Club, to bring awareness to business owners and to low-income families in Powell River.

“In many cases here, small business owners are extremely busy in their day-to-day operations,” he said. “They don’t get the time they need to enlist. It’s going to be even worse when rates go up by 28 per cent.”

Knight explained that these same programs also go a long way to helping the community reach carbon reduction targets set out in the LiveSmart BC Climate Action Plan and the Climate Action Charter—something the city has been working toward since 2007 when the charter was ratified. To reach these targets the city had studies done to map out how it could meet obligations to reduce carbon emissions.

“There are some 900 businesses in town, and many people who would qualify for benefits, but most people don’t know about these programs,” Knight said. “BC Hydro includes mail outs and brochures with their bills. We know that most of those wind up in the trash without having a pair of eyes on them.” He went on to explain that local businesses don’t need to have a 25,000 square foot floor space like a Walmart or a Costco to benefit. Some of the programs are available to businesses regardless of size.

“Some of this stuff is the type of information these companies [FortisBC and BC Hydro] would only hand out at trade shows,” Knight said, “but there’s some really valuable information for small business there as well, and we need to make sure people are aware.

“It’s also important that people in the community have someone local they can contact,” he added. “Now, rather than just a phone number or email address at the bottom of a brochure or flyer there will be more initiative to call and get hands-on assistance rather than just a dial tone.”

Knight went on to explain that generating awareness is part of the city’s overall plan working toward becoming carbon neutral. To help bring awareness to these programs the city has included a heads up in a recent business mailer.

“We have our tires to the pavement,” said Knight. “Taking steps to meet our carbon emissions reduction targets that were part of the city’s obligation under the LiveSmart BC Climate Action Plan and the Climate Action Charter is important. This is part of that plan.”