Communities

COMMUNITY ENERGY PLANNING

OUR APPROACH

Our approach to community energy planning is based on the following six steps:

1. Launch Effort – Get Organized – Form a group of people who are interested in energy.
2. Create a Community Energy Profile – Create an overview of how energy is used in your community.
3. Evaluate Energy Opportunities – Evaluate potential projects and partnerships that could improve community energy management.
4. Write the Community Energy Plan – Assemble promising projects and partnerships into a plan for action.
5. Implement and Monitor the Plan – Complete projects listed in the plan and check to make sure that they are working properly.
6. Revise the Plan – Go back to Step 2 and repeat.

The toolkit can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

WHAT ARE NWT COMMUNITIES DOING?

As part of the ICSP (integrated Community Sustainability Plan) process, all communities in the NWT were required to complete a Community Energy Plan in order to access federal Gas Tax funding. A number of communities worked with AEA to complete these plans. Those community energy plans can found on that community’s page (see the list to the right). A number of communities worked with other organizations or consultants to complete their plans. For information on community energy plans for those communities please contact the local community government.

FUNDING SOURCES

Funding to support NWT communities to implement Community Energy Plans maybe available through:

FEDERAL GAS TAX AGREEMENT – THROUGH MUNICIPAL AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS (MACA)

• Funding is distributed to NWT communities as part of the Gas Tax Agreement.  The Gas Tax money can be used to create and implement a community energy plan. More info is available at GNWT Municipal and Community Affairs.

WALTER & DUNCAN GORDON FOUNDATION

• The Walter and Gordon Duncan Foundation provides grants for projects that engage community members in Canada’s north in shaping policies for community sustainability.
• Applications start with a phone call (416-601-4776) or visit  their website at Walter and Gordon Duncan Foundation.

GREEN MUNICIPAL FUND (GMF) FROM THE FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES (FCM)

• Funding categories include:
  • Sustainable community planning and integrated projects
  • Solid waste management
  • Brownfields redevelopment
  • Water conservation and treatment
  • Energy services and renewable energy
  • Sustainable transportation services and technologies
• Visit Green Municipal Fund

Resources

Community Energy Planning Brochure

Community Energy Planning Guide

Community Energy Planning Toolkit