VANCOUVER / OTTAWA — It may sound like an elusive unicorn—a win for our economy, consumers, and the climate—but energy efficiency checks all of the above.
Canada’s GDP will see a 1 per cent boost between now and 2030 thanks to energy efficiency measures.
Meanwhile, Canadian households will save $114 a year on average as energy efficiency helps us cut one-quarter of the carbon pollution needed to meet our international climate commitment.
What’s more, an average of 118,000 annual jobs will be created due to economic activity enabled by energy efficiency measures.
These are the findings of our latest report, Less is More.
Clean Energy Canada and Efficiency Canada—a new national policy organization housed at Carleton University—hired Dunsky Energy Consulting to model the net economic impacts of energy efficiency measures in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. (That is, measures to help homes, small businesses, and industry save on energy, like improved building codes.)
Our research also examined what even stronger energy efficiency measures could do for Canada, revealing untapped potential, both in terms of cutting carbon pollution and helping Canadians save on energy.
The results—which you can see here—are clear: energy efficiency is an optimal path forward for Canada.
QUOTES
“We talk about energy a lot in this country. Seldom do we talk about using it more productively. And yet the economic and climate impacts of energy efficiency are enormous—and enormously beneficial for Canadians.”
—Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada
“Energy efficiency helps cut pollution while keeping Canada’s economy strong and jobs growing. It’s an important piece of our country’s climate plan.”
—Sarah Petrevan, Senior Policy Advisor, Clean Energy Canada
“Viewed through an economic lens, energy efficiency is a key contributor to growth in both GDP and jobs in every province across Canada. Put simply, energy efficiency works.”
—Corey Diamond, Executive Director, Efficiency Canada
KEY FACTS
- Between 2017 and 2030, Canada’s GDP will see a net increase of $356 billion thanks to energy efficiency measures in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Every $1 spent on energy efficiency programs generates $7 of GDP.
- Households can expect to save $114 a year on average, thanks to these energy efficiency measures.
- An average of 118,000 annual jobs will be created between now and 2030, due to economic activity enabled by energy efficiency measures.
- Canadians like energy efficiency. Recent public opinion research from Environics Research found that 88% of Canadians were interested in buying more efficient appliances, 79% in upgrading their homes to save energy, and 78% in switching to more efficient heating and cooling systems.
- Through a number of programs introduced a decade ago, Nova Scotia has reduced its energy consumption by 10%, helping Nova Scotians save $166 million annually while cutting 840,000 tonnes of carbon pollution every year.
RESOURCES
- Report | Less is More
- Technical report | The Economic Impact of Improved Energy Efficiency in Canada
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