create incentives for every homeowner to install Photovoltaics, Wind Turbines, or Solar Hot Water
We have to have a GREEN REVOLUTION to really make a difference in our attempt to be "Sustainable". We have to remove our dependence on fossil fuels. Every home could generate enough power to run most of its appliances. We need a smart grid.
Read "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman.
"10 easy steps for a green future" - sorry, some sacrifice is required....
s.mitchell
shared this idea
Vancouver’s Solar Homes Pilot is offering $4300 towards the cost of solar hot water systems in Vancouver – this is roughly 50 per cent of the cost of a system. The funding is available to 30 homes on a first come, first served basis. In order to qualify for the rebate, your system must be installed by December 31, 2010.
Beginning January 1, 2011, we will be offering $3,000 towards the cost of a qualifying system. Systems must be installed by February 15, 2011.
Will consider extension of program to other areas/technologies.
Details here: http://vancouver.ca/sustainability/SolarHomes.htm
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Pls note Shawn O'Neill's idea "Encourage small scale solar and wind power" has been merged with this one.
"Remove the confusion with BC Hydro net metering and allow the grid to be self-powering, lowering the demand for large-scale power as the city grows. Allow residents to sell their power back to the grid, reducing home ownership costs in an already expensive city. The less power needed the more can be sold to polluting neighbours!"
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eMatheus
commented
I agree, smart grids are needed. I believe BChydro is already working on this, and having a smart grid combined with smart metering will help us all be more efficient by making us aware of how we use or misuse energy.
Also, a smart grid is essential if the city wants to implement electric cars on a large scale.
Perhaps this is out of the reach of CoV, but it should try to make visible where it is getting its energy. Perhaps combined with smart metering, there could be the choice of buying energy, even at a slightly higher price, from renewable sources. As we know, most of our electricity is from hydro, but sometimes energy is imported from the US at peak ours (mostly from coal sources) and there are other potentially better sources available, such as wind and solar, and even geothermal (which can also be a base load source). By choosing, you can help promote a certain type or combination of energy sources. The bottom line is, so much of what we do depends on energy that where we get our energy is definitely a big part of greening the city. -
Don Dorofay
commented
Make small rooftop wind turbines and photovoltaic available at a 'group buy' price. If the city bought thousands of them they could pass the savings on to homeowners.
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Kira Gerwing
commented
The potential to create low-threshold green jobs through the installation and maintenance of these systems seems high.
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s.mitchell
commented
Well great for NEW homes - there needs to be far more effort placed on ENERGY. Really very few of the posts here do anything to curb our use of a tremendous amount of energy. Getting bike lanes is one thing...recycling paper is not enough....I hope information on transforming the existing housing stock gets its due attention. Let me know when incentives are more specifically for homeowners not new home contractors.
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AdminCOVSustainableDevel
(Admin, CG2020)
commented
There is an incentive for solar hot water in place: this year the City of Vancouver, SolarBC, Terasen and Offsetters are offering a $3,500 incentive for putting solar on new homes. We hope to make the funding available to existing homes in the near future - check it out at http://vancouver.ca/sustainability/SolarHomes.htm