Wasauksing First Nation Completes Energy Upgrades Through the First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program
The Wasauksing First Nation knew their community could benefit from energy upgrades and retrofits for increased efficiency, reliability, and savings. Their concerns began years ago with the increasing costs of energy. So, they reached out to Save on Energy and found they were eligible for energy upgrades through their First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program.
The FNCBRP program has two streams of funding: the Direct Install Stream and the community Install Stream. The program offers up to $330,000 in funding including a Benchmark Report, Direct Install site visits, reports for lighting and lighting controls installation, and support and funding for the Community Install Stream projects for other electric saving projects.
The first step after program approval is a virtual pre-energy audit to gather utility data for the community buildings (up to 20) for the Community Benchmark Report. This report outlines the energy usage per quare meter of each community building and compares this to similar buildings in Ontario. The Benchmark Report makes a recommendation to the First Nation on which buildings to consider including in the retrofit program (up to 15).
Once the buildings are chosen, site visits are completed and reports are supplied showing the value and the estimated energy savings from the lighting retrofit. The community can then choose the buildings for the retrofit installation. Wasauksing First Nation received energy-efficient lighting upgrades for their water treatment plant, ice rink, community complex, street lighting and more valued at $173,363.
A key component of these upgrades included occupancy sensors that shut the lights off once a room has been empty for a certain time.
Lighting upgrades go a long way toward decreased costs and this nation will see savings of up to $21,600/year and 137,000 kWh following this project! The monetary savings can now be put back into the community. Knowing this, the community described the opportunity as a “no-brainer.”
This project sparked the community’s interest in some larger-scale projects to improve their energy efficiency and lower costs. They are currently looking into more Community Install stream opportunities. Watch the video celebrating their successful project here!
*Those eligible for this program must be on-reserve First Nations communities in Ontario and connected to the provincial electricity grid.
The First Nations Power Authority is proud to offer a similar service to communities in Saskatchewan and around Canada. We have provided Community Energy Plans for nations across the province, providing an in-depth, easily understandable report outlining the opportunities for increased energy efficiency and savings.
Community Energy Plans support two important goals:
- Economic opportunity, providing communities with all the information they need to plan a future energy project.
- Energy security: Indigenous and rural communities can struggle with power outages, high power bills, and a lack of energy because they often don’t utilize natural gas. A community energy plan helps communities save money and access more reliable power sources.
Once the Community Energy Plan is delivered, we can help you source funding opportunities, find project partners, and fill out proposals and applications. For more information, read this blog. We would love to help your community upgrade their energy security and savings!