Quebec is tackling the energy efficiency of large buildings and intends to table a bill aimed at saving more energy annually than the production of Romaine. There will be a more restrictive standard for new buildings.
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The Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette wants to tackle “energy sieves”, our Parliamentary Office has learned. These “strainers” are poorly insulated buildings that use energy unnecessarily and those that do not reuse the thermal vapors that escape wisely.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
In this bill tabled on Wednesday in the National Assembly, the government intends to evaluate and rate old buildings, then raise the standards for the construction of new buildings.
Large commercial, industrial and residential buildings are covered by this new regulation. A little less than 20,000 buildings in Quebec will be directly affected by the adoption of this law. Following an evaluation, the rating of the buildings would be made public.
Owners will have a strict time frame to comply. Penalties of up to $600,000 are planned for those who refuse to comply.
Quebec estimates that its initiative would save 10 terawatt hours (TWh), more than the production of the Romaine hydroelectric complex.
“When we know that La Romaine is a little more than eight TWh, so our potential is greater than La Romaine which cost $7 billion and more. So, it is once again the most economical energy. The one that we do not spend is the most economical,” argued Minister Charette.
Remember that to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and carry out the numerous industrial projects in its battery sector, Quebec will have to find and/or produce more than 100 additional TWh.
Energy programs
The government also wants to include a new environmental standard in its building code. All new construction would be subject to it.
The Ministry of the Environment thus wishes to accelerate changes in habits, improve the airtightness of buildings and reduce energy consumption.
Although there will be penalties attached to this bill, the department is mainly counting on the carrot by banking on already existing energy improvement programs.
The government is taking back the recipe that allowed it to strengthen the standard for the sale of electric vehicles (zero emissions).
So, the government wants these programs and the strengthening of rules to accelerate change for buildings.
Circular energy
Through the new legislation, Quebec is banking, for example, on the reuse of thermal vapors produced by certain polluters. Soon, the City of Quebec will sell thermal steam from its incinerator (see photo) to the Enfant-Jésus megahospital so that it can heat itself. The incinerator is one of the biggest polluters in Quebec.
The incinerator steam recovery project received federal and provincial funding of $44 million to allow the CHU to use it.
Possible ways to improve the energy efficiency of buildings:
– Measure energy consumption (smart thermostats)
– Focus on insulation (high performance building envelopes for the commercial and industrial sectors)
– Install a good ventilation system (air exchanger)
– Buy “Energy Star” certified equipment
– Install LED lighting
– Upgrade to LEED standards (improve the sustainability of buildings by taking into account site layout, efficient water management, energy consumption, choice of materials, air quality and special design features)
Source: Business Development Bank of Canada