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VANCOUVER – The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and BC Hydro won the national ENERGY STAR Collaborative Initiative of the Year award in Ottawa Monday for work on market transformation of windows, announced Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and Bob Elton, CEO of BC Hydro.

“Improving the energy efficiency of homes and buildings provides savings to consumers, improves the air quality and comfort in our buildings, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating,” said Neufeld. “The ENERGY STAR program helps us meet our conservation targets set out in the BC Energy Plan and our goal of achieving electricity self-sufficiency by 2016.”

“The easiest way to make a home or building energy efficient is to build it that way from the start,” said Bob Elton, BC Hydro’s president and CEO. “BC Hydro has been able to promote the ENERGY STAR plan for windows throughout our customer base from non-profit housing to commercial businesses as one of the key means of increasing a home’s energy efficiency.”

As active participants in Natural Resources Canada’s ENERGY STAR program for windows, doors and skylights, the ministry and BC Hydro promote products and technology that meet energy efficiency standards and are widely accepted by industry players. PST exemptions on ENERGY STAR products, and rebates offered through BC Hydro and FortisBC have helped increase consumer uptake from a level close to zero at the beginning of the program in 2005 to a current level of about 30 percent. Government is developing regulations for windows and doors, and helping manufacturers certify their products as well as train their staff in the ENERGY STAR program. Collaboration with key industry, utility and non-profit organizations promoting the ENERGY STAR program includes the following partners: City Green Solutions, BC Hydro, FortisBC, Window and Door Manufacturers Association of B.C., local governments, First Nations and Homeworks Services.

The Energy Efficient Buildings Strategy: A Plan for B.C. commits government to work with the building industry, governments and other organizations to improve energy efficiency in new and existing buildings.

Natural Resources Canada has given the ENERGY STAR Recognition awards for the last five years to organizations in recognition of their efforts in promoting energy efficiency through the ENERGY STAR program. This is the first time a provincial government has received an award. This is a voluntary program introduced in Canada in 2001 to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency.

For more information on the Energy Efficient Buildings Strategy, go to www.em.gov.bc.ca/AlternativeEnergy/ of the B.C. government website.

For more information on the BC Energy Plan, go to www.energyplan.bc.ca.

Contact:

Gillian Robinson Riddell

Media Relations

Phone: 604 623-4022

gillian.robinson@bchydro.com