[getsmart-l] Feds cut funds for business energy audits

[Gloria Boxen]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/04/19/industrial-energy.html


Ottawa cuts energy audit program for industry
Last Updated: Thursday, April 19, 2007 | 9:18 AM ET
CBC News

The federal government has cancelled a program that
helped businesses to conduct energy audits to pinpoint
areas where they could reduce their emissions of
greenhouse gases.

The Industrial Energy Audit Incentive, a program
administered by Natural Resources Canada, provided
businesses with up to 50 per cent of the cost of an
energy audit since 2001.

More than 700 companies in Canada took advantage of
the program in the past six years.

Carol Buckley, spokesperson for Natural Resources
Canada, said instead of the former program, the
government will provide grants to companies to help
them buy the materials they need to be more energy
efficient. The grants will be limited to companies
with fewer than 500 employees.

"Because the projects are smaller, we think they need
less help at the front-end with planning, and we
prefer to put our money into the implementation, which
is where organizations that are small often lack
resources," she said.

"Our changes are only meant to improve the
effectiveness of what we do in terms of saving
energy."
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But Liberal MP Mark Holland, critic for natural
resources, said the decision to cancel the program is
similar to a decision last year to cancel the
EnerGuide for Houses program. That program was
replaced with the new ecoENERGY retrofit program
recently announced.

"Every time that they cut, they bring it back in a
smaller portion, and try to relabel it. The reality
is, it's less effective," Holland said.

Environmentalists have said the new ecoENERGY program
is about half the size of the EnerGuide for Houses
program.

Holland said Natural Resources is forced to make such
choices because the Harper government has reduced the
overall pool of money available to help individuals
and businesses cut their emissions of greenhouse
gases.

According to the website of Natural Resources Canada,
under its Office of Energy Efficiency page, the $220
million ecoENERGY Retrofit program applies to
homeowners and to smaller businesses and
organizations.

It provides a financial incentive of up to 25 per cent
of project costs to a maximum of $50,000 to help small
and medium commercial and institutional buildings and
industrial facilities roll out energy saving projects.

The government's ecoENERGY initiative also includes a
$20 million ecoENERGY for Industry program that aims
to encourage energy saving investments and the
exchange of best practices among industries in Canada.