The Manitoba government has proclaimed The Efficiency Manitoba Act, allowing for the launch of a new stand-alone Crown corporation that will deliver demand-side management of electricity and natural gas programs and services.
“Efficiency Manitoba will offer households and businesses expanded energy saving programs that will help minimize the impact of future rate increases,” said Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen. “It will also help to encourage reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, which is important to all Manitobans and a priority of our government.”
In addition to helping Manitobans save on their energy bills and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, Cullen said the work of Efficiency Manitoba will help defer costly new electricity generation far off into the future while creating new jobs in the energy-efficiency sector.
On a year-to-year basis, Efficiency Manitoba will be required to meet annual savings targets in both electrical energy and natural gas. At a minimum, those savings will be equal to:
- 1.5 per cent of the consumption of electrical energy in the preceding year, amounting to a targeted cumulative reduction of 22.5 per cent over 15 years;
- .75 per cent of the consumption of natural gas in the preceding year, amounting to a targeted cumulative reduction of 11.25 per cent over the same time period.
“Efficiency Manitoba is well-placed to help Manitoba households and businesses reduce their energy costs and greenhouse-gas emissions, while also improving economic and infrastructure resilience,” said Brent Gilmour, executive director of Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST). “On behalf of QUEST, we congratulate the Manitoba government on taking this important step.”
During the transition period, Manitoba Hydro will continue to deliver energy-efficiency initiatives to ensure Manitoba maintains its momentum in demand-side management, the minister noted.
