$50,000 Rebate for LDB Energy Reduction Actions

July 29, 2010

VANCOUVER – The B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) received a rebate of approximately $50,000 from Terasen Gas for the installation of two energy-efficient boilers at its Vancouver Distribution Centre today.

“Saving energy saves money,” said Rich Coleman, Minister of Housing and Social Development, who accepted the rebate cheque in a presentation at a new BC Signature Liquor Store located in a downtown Vancouver facility built to Silver LEED standards and featuring a living wall of plants and a green roof. “The LDB, like all public sector organizations, has a mandate to reduce its carbon footprint to help meet government’s climate action plan to reduce B.C.’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020.”

The LDB has a long tradition of sustainable business practices in the retail sector - from bottle recycling to its reusable bag program - and plans to use the rebate for additional energy savings. Terasen’s Efficient Boiler Program provides financial incentives to encourage installation of high-efficiency, natural gas space-heating systems in both new construction and existing buildings. By installing an efficient boiler, Terasen’s customers can earn a cash rebate of up to 75 per cent of the purchase-price premium.

“Terasen Gas is committed to helping customers achieve energy efficiency, so through our expanded energy efficiency and conservation initiative – which includes the Efficient Boiler Program – customers will be eliminating more than 775,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases, saving a total of 15.5 million gigajoules, which is enough natural gas for approximately 155,000 homes for one year,” said Doug Stout, vice-president of Energy Solutions and External Relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC. “As a leading integrated energy solutions provider, we are meeting our customers’ energy needs for today and tomorrow, while helping to address the government of B.C.’s climate action goals.”

The LDB has a 21,645-square-metre (233,000-square-foot) distribution centre, located at 2625 Rupert St., which is heated by two boilers. In 2010, with the support of Terasen Gas, the LDB replaced these boilers with two, high-efficiency condensing boilers. The replacement of these aging and inefficient boilers has led to energy savings and resulted in the rebate from the Terasen Gas Efficient Boiler Program.

In addition, Terasen will monitor the energy savings from these boilers for one year, which are expected to provide the LDB with an additional $1,500 rebate, plus $1 per gigajoule saved.

More information on Terasen’s Efficient Boiler Program can be found at:
www.terasengas.com/BuildingProfessionsTrades/IncentivePrograms/EfficientBoilerProgram2009.htm [1].

Media Contact:
Tarina Palmer BCLDB - Communications Manager 604 838-1105 (cell)
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca [2].