Canadian Industry Increases Energy Efficiency by 1.8%

OTTAWA -- Canada's mining, manufacturing and construction industry has improved energy efficiency by more than 18 percent in the last 11 years, according to the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation's (CIPEC) most recent report. This equates to reduced annual energy costs of more than $2.8 billion through effective energy use.

"Canadian industry, through CIPEC, is leading the way in helping Canada reach its climate change goal," said the Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "I hope that more companies will follow CIPEC's example and recognize that energy efficiency creates new business, new jobs and new market opportunities."

CIPEC's most recent statistical data indicates that, between 1990 and 2001, the mining, manufacturing and construction sectors have achieved an average annual energy-intensity improvement of 1.8 percent per year.

"Canadian industry has looked at their energy bills and adopted the win-win agenda of improved competitiveness through effective energy management," said Douglas Speers, CIPEC Executive Board Chair. "The road ahead offers many challenges for CIPEC participants. But these challenges, including rising energy costs, provide the incentive companies need to become more energy-efficient."

Investments and efforts to improve energy use help participating companies, who are leaders in sustainable development, reduce costs and increase profitability, while reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) that cause climate change. This report shows that CIPEC mining, manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for 30 percent of Canada's GHGs, have reduced their GHG emissions related to energy use to 8.4 percent below 1990 levels.

CIPEC's network includes 45 trade associations that represent more than 5,000 companies and approximately 95 percent of secondary industrial energy demand in Canada. CIPEC has been a successful model for business-government partnerships in Canada since 1975, and it continues to be a key component of the manufacturing and mining industries' response to the need for action on climate change. CIPEC has expanded in the last year to include the energy producing sectors.

This announcement builds on the Government of Canada's commitment to ensuring the quality of life in our communities, a healthy environment and continued economic prosperity - for the Canada we want, for ourselves and for future generations.

NRC