The City has Been Busy Leading the Way with Solar Hot Water Initiatives
The City of Campbell River has been setting the pace for BC Solar Communities. In the first month of the New Year they’ve seen three solar hot water installations go up on local government buildings at the RCMP headquarters, the Fire Hall and the Sportsplex Centre. According to Sustainability Manager Amber Zirnhelt, their aim is to demonstrate leadership with regards to renewable energy, to meet their goals with the climate action charter and to provide an education to their residents through informational kiosks that will be on display at each location.
"We want to show that solar hot water is feasible in a climate like Campbell River," says Zirnhelt, adding that another important element is economical. "We’re looking at this from a perspective of sustainability in an integrated way with the environment and exploring how to save on cost for local residents as well as reducing expenditures."
She says that taking the lead in initiating environmental practices like solar hot water is a way to communicate the city’s commitment to be progressive, take action and do their part in addressing climate change. Through the Community Energy and Emissions Plan Zirnhelt says that it was evident community members were looking to the city to promote and encourage environmental projects. "There’s been lots of interest within the community," she says. "During the BC Solar Days we had 60 people out for our open house tour and workshops and we really had some great feedback and interest in solar hot water."
Timberland Secondary has also installed solar hot water, which was another initiative that the city helped to support. The students were keen to move forward with the installation on their school after an Earth Week film festival was held earlier last year.
Meanwhile, the systems on the municipal government buildings are now up and running and the city is busy with the finishing touches on the educational kiosk. They are also hoping to install meters on the systems to track the energy savings. More information will be made available on the Campbell River website at: www.campbellriver.ca
More on Campbell River’s Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP):
The plan will guide the city toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Campbell River. Through the CEEP the city is reviewing current trends in Campbell River and changes in land use planning, transportation, building energy efficiency, solid waste and individual behavior that can lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. They will be updating their GHG targets in our Official Community Plan and will have an action plan to guide them in achieving their targets.
The city is developing this plan in conjunction with the City’s Master Transportation Plan and the Sustainable Official Community Plan, currently underway. The CEEP involves detailed GHG modeling. Solar hot water is one of the renewable energy focus areas that they are evaluating.