COUNTRY | Canada
REGION | Americas
SECTOR | energy
QII Principles | Principle 1: Sustainable Growth & Development, Principle 2: Economic Efficiency, Principle 3: Environmental Considerations, Principle 4: Building Resilience, Principle 5: Social Considerations
QII Sub-Principles | 1: SDGs, 1: Paris Agreement, 1: Wider economic benefits, 2: Technological innovation, 3: Climate, 3: Weather, 3: Emissions, 4: Resilience, 5: Social inclusiveness, 5: Low-income groups, 5: Marginalised groups
Overview
Cost: >$5 Million
Size: The program is expected to benefit all residents of the town (population 8,532), while targeting low-income households (approximately 30% of the population).
Parties involved (public and private): Public (Town of Bridgewater, funded by Infrastructure Canada)
Brownfield or greenfield: Brownfield
Relevant contractual details (type, length etc.): As a winner of the Smart Cities Challenge, the Town of Bridgewater has signed a contribution agreement with the Government of Canada to receive up to $5M in order to carry out their project. The transfer of funds is conditional upon the completion of pre-determined milestones and a requirement to report on results. The agreement is in effect from 2019-2026. In addition, the town is leveraging funding from other sources. Further procurement and contracting is the purview of the city.
Context: As is the case in other parts of Atlantic Canada, Bridgewater suffers from a very high rate of energy poverty – when households spend a large portion of their income on energy needs. This is particularly prevalent among low-income groups, making it a challenge for households to meet their basic needs. Energy inefficient housing is also a contributor to GHG emissions.
Aim(s) of the project: Energize Bridgewater will design, test, and implement a comprehensive Energy Poverty Reduction Program that will reduce the rate of energy poverty among Bridgewater residents by 20% by 2025 compared to 2018. The project aims to retrofit existing and newly constructed housing to very high energy efficiency standards, and leverage the use of data and connected technologies to enhance the community's ability to implement systemic solutions to energy poverty. By linking household energy data, the municipality will be able to monitor, forecast, and control energy use with greater precision. They aim to develop small-scale energy systems such as solar farms and microgrids in which residents can invest and earn dividends, along with supplementing energy sources. A centralized system for residents to access resources will help refer participants of the Energy Poverty Reduction Program to interconnected city services, including improving municipal mobility systems.
Timeline
Key dates including procurement, construction, operations:
Start date 2019, prototype set up by 2022, testing by 2024, final program activation by 2025.
Relevance to QII
Energize Bridgewater aligns most with QII #1 and #3, as one of the main outcomes is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as measured by "greenhouse gas emissions from home energy consumption in participating residential properties". The aim is to reduce these emissions by 51% by 2025. As a whole, the project aims to invest in energy efficient housing and renewable energy, helping the community to increase energy security, and reduce energy costs. Financial savings generated over time will help to increase the resources that can be put into the community and ensure momentum for future energy investments. This aligns with QII#2, as part of the project's plan is a community-wide energy management system that uses data and connected technology to monitor and manage energy consumption, ultimately improving economic efficiency.
The project also aligns well with QII #5 as it is specifically aimed at improving the economic situation of low income renters with regards to their energy consumption. QII 5 is also relevant as the project is aimed specifically at helping those with lower incomes.
Benefits
Highlights: The project will retrofit homes in order to make them energy efficient and reduce costs for residents, and tie this into community-level energy systems such as microgrids.
Expected and realised benefits: The project is still in its early stages. Expected benefits are reduced energy poverty and higher quality of life for Bridgewater residents, including improvement in overall health, an increase in income from energy dividends earned by program clients, clean tech sector employment, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from home which will be retrofitted.
Metrics
The success of the project is measured and reported through an outcome-based milestone agreement with clear targets set. There are 20 outcomes and 33 performance indicators. The reporting requirements are laid out in the contribution agreement, which include the frequency of reporting (as defined by their unique milestone agreement). See Annex 1 for specific information.
Name of Institute
Infrastructure Canada
Website URL