Climate Action Initiatives
The District is honoured to have been awarded ‘Accelerating Progress on Charter Commitments’ by the Climate Action Recognition Program and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and related costs to address climate change.
One of the goals in Council’s 2019 Strategic Plan is to mitigate climate change impacts. Staff is to prepare a report to Council regarding the Climate Action Strategy monitoring and reporting.
Electric Vehicles
To mitigate its environmental impact, the District has replaced three aging fleet vehicles with electric vehicles. In addition, an electric vehicle charging station has been installed for public use at the Municipal Hall.
Solar Panels
In 2017, 40 solar panels were installed in front of Municipal Hall. These panels power the building and store power in the backup battery system for use in the event of a prolonged power outage.
Once the net meter is installed, the excess power contributed to the BC Hydro grid will also be measured. This will reduce the electrical bill for the District and lessen the burden on the grid.
The solar panels are expected to generate 15,000 kW-h in an average year which is the equivalent of about 1.5 average homes.
BC Energy Step Code
In the fall of 2018 Council adopted an amendment to the District’s building bylaw which introduced the implementation of the Provincial Energy Step Code Regulations. More information can be found on our BC Energy Step Code webpage.
CleanBC Municipal Top Up Rebate
North Saanich is incentivizing residents to convert fossil fuel heating systems to energy efficient heating upgrades by offering select rebates. More information can be found on our CleanBC Top Up Rebate page.
New Municipal Hall
With the construction of the new Municipal Hall, the District implemented the following green initiatives:
- VRF HVAC systems
- Ductless HVAC/system with separate space control
- LED lighting
- Motion sensor lighting
- Low VOC finishes
- Low Flow plumbing fixtures
- Solar PV
- Battery backup
- Low VOC paints and carpeting
- An electric car charging station
Local Government Climate Action Program
The Local Government Climate Action Program provides predictable, long-term funding for communities to achieve shared climate goals for a sustainable B.C. The program will support B.C. communities through capacity building and investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts by providing annual funding to signatories of the Climate Action Charter and Modern Treaty Nations.
Provincial Climate Action Reporting Incentive Program Reports
