Resources

Ministry of Environment

Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement

UPDATE: September 1, 2010

  • The intake for PSECA 3 applications closed on August 20, 2010. There was a healthy response and in all four categories the requests for funding exceeded the funding available.

  • The Technical Review Phase is currently underway. Once a project is deemed eligible it is sent to our PSECA 3 partners – BC Hydro, Terasen, Solar BC and NRCan – for technical review and to determine whether the project is eligible for one of their incentives. Our partner’s incentives enable PSECA to significantly extend the available funding.

  • From September 9-13 there will be information conference calls for each funding category. To view the schedule, click here.

  • Find updates to the solar funding category here.

  • Find out why you need to remember your PSECA ID number here.

Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement

B.C.’s public sector plays a key role in helping British Columbians become leaders in conservation and energy efficiency.

The first Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PSECA) was created in 2007 as a partnership between BC Hydro and the Government of B.C. Budget 2008 committed $75 million over three years to help public sector organizations reduce provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption and operating costs, as well as support government achieve its goal of carbon neutrality. After two rounds of PSECA, we have achieved annual energy cost savings of close to $7.4 million, GHG reductions of over 18,700 tonnes and conservation of 38.6 GWh of electricity.

For the third round of PSECA, the Province has committed $25 million in capital funding for energy retrofit projects across four categories:

  • $2 million for solar thermal projects to fund solar hot water and air systems, which also supports government's 100,000 solar roof initiative;
  • $5 million for an open call for proposals to all provincial public sector organizations, as was done in the first two years of the program;
  • $6 million for K-12 schools throughout the province for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) retrofits; and,
  • $12 million for district energy system projects.

Eligible public sector organizations are encouraged to submit applications early; funding is allocated on a first come first serve basis to qualifying projects.

Eligibility

Public sector organizations are eligible for PSECA funding. That includes all organizations listed in the Government Reporting Entity (GRE):

  • Ministries and Agencies
  • Boards of Education
  • Universities/Colleges
  • Health Authorities
  • Crown corporations

In addition, each funding category has specific requirements, as outlined below. All projects will be reviewed to ensure they meet ministry-specific capital requirements and provincial funding goals, including regional representation.

Funding Categories

Solar - $2 million for solar hot water and air systems. SolarBC and NRCan are providing support and resources to evaluate the solar projects. Applicants must use the PSECA application process and will be directed to the SolarBC and NRCan processes. Applicants for the SolarBC category of funding must meet NRCan's ecoENERGY criteria to qualify for PSECA funding.The application deadline for solar projects is October 1, 2010.

  • Update:
    NRCan has been providing Contribution Agreements (CAs) to applicants as the technical reviews are completed for the NRCan ecoENERGY incentive which is usually 10-15% of the total installation costs. Please note this is not an approval for PSECA funding.  

    The Climate Action Secretariat is working with our PSECA Partners Terasen Gas and NRCan ecoENERGY to identify incentives and extend the PSECA funds for Solar Thermal funding category

Open call for Proposals - $5 million for an open call for proposals. Proponents must apply through the PSECA application process and attach an energy study in the required format (PDF, 80 KB). Qualifying projects must demonstrate a GHG reduction, have a net energy savings, and a Net Present Value per tonne of GHGs of $10 or more.

HVAC retrofits in K-12 schools - $6 million for HVAC in K-12 schools. Proponents must apply through the PSECA application process and also complete a Project Request Summary Data Sheet* (XLS). The deadline for applications for this category is August 20, 2010, and projects must be completed by August 31, 2011. Qualifying projects must demonstrate a GHG reduction, have a net energy savings, and a Net Present Value per tonne of GHGs of $10 or more.

*Please contact your Ministry of Education Planning Officer with questions regarding the Project Request Summary Data Sheet.

District Energy System projects - $12 million for up to four transformative district energy systems, including funding for rural and urban projects to achieve GHG and energy costs savings. This funding will help build a roadmap for collaboration between public sector organizations and local communities, leveraging incentives from PSECA partners, Terasen Gas and BC Hydro.

The high-level criteria for District Energy Systems projects are:

  • The investment represents good value for money
  • The proposal is technically sound
  • The applicants have the necessary experience and project management resources to deliver the project
  • There is a demonstration value to the project

District Energy System projects will be reviewed by a team comprised of representatives from the Province of BC and two subject matter experts from the private sector.

Partners

BC Hydro BC Hydro, the first PSECA partner, provides incentives for electricity components of energy retrofits under its Power Smart program. BC Hydro has also supported Energy Managers across B.C. and energy conservation behaviour change programs.
Read the BC Hydro Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PDF, 147 KB).
Terasen In June 2010, Terasen Gas became a PSECA partner. The new agreement will leverage Terasen Gas’s incentives and help build energy efficiency capacity across the public sector.
Read the Terasen Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PDF, 116 KB).
Solar BC SolarBC is working with the Government of B.C. to promote solar hot water and air heating systems and leverage federal funding through Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).


Application Process

All project proponents need a BCeID to access the PSECA funding application. See instructions below.

Closing Deadlines

Funding Category Funding available Deadline Notes
PSECA Solar $2 million August 20, 2010 NRCan and SolarBC continue to accept applications for their respective solar thermal funding programs until October 1, 2010.   
Open call $5 million August 20, 2010  
HVAC retrofits in K-12 schools $6 million August 20, 2010  
District Energy System project $12 million August 20, 2010

 

 

Conference Calls

Conference calls will be held for each category to provide applicants with the status of the review process. Please note that due to limited resources, we will not be providing status updates on the progress of individual applications or individual applicants on these calls.

To make the best use of our time and the conference tools please do not identify yourself when entering the call and please wait until there is a pause in the discussion before exiting the call. Also please ensure your cell phone and paperwork is not near the speaker of your phone.

Funding category

Date of the Conference Call

Time of the Conference Call

Notes

Solar Thermal

September 9

10- 11 a.m.

 

Dial in  1.877.353.9184#
Conference ID 656025#

3rd Open Call

September 14

10- 11 a.m.

K-12 HVAC

September 16

10- 11 a.m.

District Energy

September 21

10- 11 a.m.

 

Questions?

Please read the PSECA FAQs and send any enquiries to the PSECA Administration.

Please note:  The PSECA ID number is a unique identification number for your project used to track the  project throughout the process and to communicate with our PSECA partners and your organization.  Please refer to your PSECA number in your correspondence.