ATHABASCA - Plans by Keepers of the Athabasca (KOA) to conduct free energy audits on public buildings throughout the region this spring were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, but now the group is hoping to reconnect with potential partners and is opening up the offer to individual homeowners as well.
The energy audits were part of KOA’s “Where’s My Power? Energy Champions Call to Action” program which included workshops to help increase awareness of energy use and determine energy efficiency options for partners that were specific to their operations along with ways to track energy changes, cost savings and emissions reductions.
“We’re looking at the thickness of the walls, the type of insulation, the type of windows, the type of doors, type of heating. If there’s any holes, you’re going to lose a lot of heat through there. We look at things like whether you have outlet insulators along your outside walls and insulation along the mud flap area, which is where the building joins the foundation,” explained KOA project manager Jule Astericks.
Thermal imaging cameras are used in some instances, while other times, low-tech tools like the smoke released from an incense stick can lead to the source of a draft or leak.
The bottom line is about using energy efficiently, which decreases costs for usage.
KOA’s mandate is to “secure and protect water and watershed lands for ecological, social, cultural and community health and wellbeing,” and is made up of “First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, environmental groups, concerned citizens and communities working together for the protection of air, water and land and thus, for all living things today and tomorrow in the Athabasca River and lake watershed.”
Earlier this year, KOA was initially partnering with businesses, schools, municipalities and First Nations. A lot of churches around the region also signed up for the free energy audits, said Astericks.
“Our people are out-of-the-box thinkers and we can provide some no-cost options, as well as low-cost options,” she said.
Since many of the grants and rebates for energy efficient additions have recently been discontinued by the provincial government, Astericks points out there are other organizations in Alberta, Canada and globally that can help fund energy efficient projects.
Energy Efficient Alberta, the government body that helped fund KOA’s project is also set to be dissolved at the end of September and integrated into the new Emissions Reduction Alberta and other entities. With the last round of funding, KOA signed up to perform 60 energy audits and is doing what it can to fulfill that obligation.
“Energy audits were initially only meant for public buildings … but because of the challenges of re-booking that I’ve been seeing for the last several months since COVID, I’m starting to think we should do whatever we can get. If people have a home they want us to look at, we will do private homes,” said Astericks.
Chris Zwick, TownandCountryToday.com
