<p></p><p>In Kelowna, 36 per cent of GHG emissions come from buildings. Based on most recent numbers available (2012), residents spent nearly $1,400 per capita on electricity and natural gas to heat and light homes and businesses.</p> <p>The City of Kelowna has made improvements to many city-owned facilities to reduce energy and GHG emissions, including taking advantage of state-of-the-art energy efficient technology whenever practical for new and retrofitted buildings. Now, we want to promote to residents to also reduce their energy in their homes, leading to lower energy bills. There are two proposed actions to accomplish this: </p> <p>1.  Develop incentives and regulations to encourage more energy efficient new buildings. The Province of BC has introduced the <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/construction-industry/building-codes-standards/energy-efficiency/energy-step-code">BC Energy Step Code</a>, which allows municipalities to voluntarily adopt incremental steps for energy efficient requirements beyond the BC Building Code.  By 2032, the highest steps (net-zero energy ready buildings) would become mandatory across the province.</p> <p>2.  Develop incentives and regulations to encourage existing buildings to be more energy efficient. Over 72 per cent of existing residences in Kelowna were constructed prior to 2000.</p> <p><b>Have you completed any retrofits on your home?  Did you receive any rebates or incentives to help encourage you to do them?  What barriers have you encountered to making your home more energy efficient?</b></p><br>