Solar Colwood is good for our community. Don’t be swayed by those who say that it is too expensive.
This is a program that Colwood can be proud of. Colwood is the only municipality in Canada to receive Federal funding ($3.9 million) to help its citizens reduce their energy bills.
This fund coupled with provincial LiveSmart BC grants and federal EcoEnergy grants have helped save Colwood homeowners more than $100,000 towards the installation of energy saving equipment.
To date, 40 homeowners have signed up for installations: 27 homeowners have committed to installing ductless heat pumps and 13 more for solar hotwater. This equals roughly $250,000 worth of installations.
Colwood should not only be commended for promoting energy savings but for creating local jobs too.
This program is funded by Federal grant money. Tax payers are required to pay the interest necessary for the 10 per cent hold-back loan, which covers the final federal payment to the City at the end of the program.
That amounts to about $2 per household, per year for the three year program. This is a small investment for promoting green energy and green jobs in our community.
I commend all those in the City of Colwood who have spent many volunteer hours working to get the Federal funding for this forward thinking program.
Ross Lyle
Colwood