According to the 2019 Canadian Provincial Energy Efficiency Scorecard from Efficiency Canada, British Columbia is the top-ranked province ahead of Quebec and Ontario for energy efficiency.
“It is great to see British Columbia recognized for its leadership and innovation in energy efficiency,” said Michelle Mungall, B.C. Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources on the national rankings. “This shows we are on the right track with our government’s CleanBC plan to boost the economy, create good jobs for people and make life more affordable.”
Mungall claims that British Columbia’s ranking is in direct correlation to their BC Energy Step Code for buildings, their natural gas saving targets, and their success in supporting electric vehicles.
The BC Energy Step Code requires energy-efficiency targets for builders as required in development bylaws in municipalities that enact the BC Energy Step Code. The B.C. Government’s natural gas savings targets seek to reduce methane emissions from upstream oil and gas operations by 45% and have natural gas consumption be at least 15% from renewable gas by 2030. As part of the CleanBC plan, they hope that every vehicle sold in B.C. will be a zero-emission vehicle by 2040 while currently offering a maximum of $8,000 in provincial and federal rebates for those that buy a new electric or plug-in hybrid electric car.
More: CleanBC (B.C. Government)
“With our CleanBC plan, British Columbia is the leader in Canada for clean energy and climate action,” said Mungall. “Going forward, Efficiency Canada’s scorecard will help us measure the positive impacts of the actions we are taking to increase energy efficiency in buildings, transportation and industry as we continue working toward a cleaner, stronger province.”
Efficiency Canada gave British Columbia 56 points out of a possible 100 on the scorecard, which was eight points ahead of Quebec (48) who placed second on the matrix and nine ahead of Ontario (47) which was third. Alberta was ranked sixth in Canada after scoring 30 points, while Saskatchewan was ninth with 18 points. Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon were not ranked by Efficiency Canada, meaning Newfoundland and Labrador was ranked last of the major provinces with 15 points.
More: 2019 Canadian Provincial Energy Efficiency Scorecard (Efficiency Canada)