Be at Cranbrook Rotary Park tomorrow (July 26) at noon for a free burger to launch the East Kootenay Energy Diet. The Energy Diet is an exciting new way for East Kootenay residents to save energy and money.

Minister of Energy and Mines, Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett will be kicking off the Diet, and will be joined by the partners who are making this possible – the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), BC Hydro, Columbia Basin Trust and FortisBC.

The East Kootenay Energy Diet is facilitated by Megan Lohmann, RDEK’s new Community Energy Manager. The Energy Diet is a program designed to enable residents to have an energy assessment of their home, complete energy efficiency upgrades, and access various rebates and subsidies for the assessment and renovations performed. Lohmann will be helping residents and businesses engage in the Energy Diet, ensuring a simple and straightforward process for participants. Lohmann’s position is a unique co-funding partnership between RDEK, CBT and BC Hydro PowerSmart – piloting BC Hydro’s successful municipal Community Energy Manager program at a regional scale.

Minister Bennett noted: “I am delighted that BC Hydro and CBT recognizes the importance of providing opportunities for rural communities in BC to participate in energy conservation programs. By piloting their Community Energy Manager position here in the East Kootenay, residents will have opportunities to save energy and money through this innovative, collaborative partnership.”

You can sign up for the East Kootenay Energy Diet at the launch event to be one of the first to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home. Pre-registration for the program will also be available at www.eked.ca. Community launches will take place throughout September across the East Kootenay, providing another opportunity to sign-up and learn about the services, products and expertise available in your community to improve your home’s efficiency.

“The RDEK is proud to be a lead partner in this collaborative effort. We hope that East Kootenay residents will take advantage of the services being offered through the Energy Diet, connect with local trades people to complete the work, and end up with a more comfortable and energy efficient home,” said RDEK Chair, Electoral Area C director Rob Gay.

How the Diet works: After signing up for the East Kootenay Energy Diet, residents will be contacted to get a bit of information about their home. Next, an energy assessment of the home will be scheduled at a convenient time and discounted rate. As a bonus, the energy expert will also provide energy saving products at the time of the assessment. Follow up support is available to connect with local tradespeople to complete selected energy saving upgrades, and to provide advice on rebates and incentives.

Additional support is available for low-income households. The Energy Diet is available to help low-income homeowners or renters access either a simple ‘do-it-yourself’ retrofit kit, or a more comprehensive assessment and retrofit provided by BC Hydro and FortisBC. The Energy Diet program will help to promote and support participation in this program.

The East Kootenay Energy Diet is delivered by Community Energy Association and is made possible by funding from BC Hydro, Columbia Basin Trust, Regional District of East Kootenay and FortisBC, and through partnership with LiveSmart BC.

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