Richmond County is interested in a new program to bring down energy costs for community facilities.
During last night’s regular monthly meeting in Arichat, Richmond Municipal Council approved a recommendation from its committee-of-the-whole to have municipal staff explore the Net Zero Community Buildings project and seek interest from representatives of halls in the municipality.
During the committee-of-the-whole meeting on Jan. 13, Andy Thompson, Community Developer with Aging Well Nova Scotia, and Liam Cook, retrofit navigator with Navigate Energy, made a presentation to council.
Thompson said the program seeks to install solar panels and heat pumps,and remove oil-fired heating sources from community halls. Cook explained that the ultimate goal is for the facilities to have zero energy costs.
After last night’s meeting, Warden Lois Landry said the municipality can help get representatives with the halls together to apply for funding in groups, increasing the chances to be approved, and the organizations can also access energy rebates to leverage funding.