The Energy Conservation Management Plan (ECMP) provides the basis for the municipality to move forward on implementing improvements to its facilities and operations that reduce energy use, its associated costs, as well as environmental effects of municipal activities. The ECMP is focused on the core energy consuming operations within the municipality, which includes facilities and the buildings operations, street lighting and vehicle fleet. The ECMP has been developed to serve as guidance for achieving priority actions and implementing energy conservation initiative over the next 5 years; however staff must continue be flexible to re-prioritize actions as necessary to take advantage of other opportunities as they arise.
The Municipality of Port Hope has several plans that provide overall guidance and direction for the municipality. The ECMP has been developed to align with the goals and principals outlined within the corporate Strategic Plan and are guided by the Corporate Climate Action Plan 2010.
The Municipality is a participant in the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, where the municipalities commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2011, Council approved the Corporate Climate Action Plan, a high level document that provides guidance and directions to staff on implementation of energy initiatives aiming to reduce consumption, achieve cost savings and meet its GHG emission reduction target.
The Municipality of Port Hope ECMP helps achieve the following goals;
- Improve the energy efficiency of all facilities and operations by utilizing best practices to reduce energy consumption
- Maximize fiscal resources through direct and indirect energy cost savings
- Optimize use of energy related funding opportunities such as grants or incentives
- Create awareness and culture of energy conservation within municipal staff
- Increase the comfort and safety to staff and patrons of the municipal staff
- Improve efficiency of municipal equipment and reduce maintenance
The ECMP will continue to provide guidance to the Municipality for energy conservation for the next five years. Successful implementation of the ECMP requires effective financial planning and budgeting. Implementing energy efficiency and conservation initiatives generally makes sound financial sense when considering the long term operational costs savings. Identifying and allocating funding sources for these projects will help to ensure these initiatives continue to be implemented.
This report will be published before the end of 2020. If you have questions regarding the policy or would like a copy of the full report when published please email us.