Conservation

Welland Conservation Program

• Smart Gardening Program - Visit the Region’s Smart Gardening website for useful tips and information.

Council has recently approved the continuance of the 2009 Water and Energy Conservation Program. The City of Welland places a high importance on sustainability and public education regarding environmentally-friendly practices. Various programs will be put in place commencing with rain barrel sales, replacement incentives for certain high-efficiency appliances along with cash-back incentives for home energy audits.

OVERVIEW

ORIGIN AND BACKGROUND:

In April 2005, there was a shift in the City of Welland’s water/sewer rate structure from flat rate billing to metered consumption.  It was determined that acceptance of the new rate structure would be assisted by a Conservation Program as a means of empowering customers and citizens with the information and tools to reduce their demand.

Council subsequently approved the formation of the Water Conservation committee to be made up of City staff, three (3) citizen members, three (3) special interest group representatives, three (3) councilors and partners from Welland Hydro and Enbridge Gas.  Citizen members were appointed to the Committee in September 2005.

The primary purpose of the Committee was to develop and monitor the Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan to be implemented in 2006.  The Committee could then evaluate the impact of each element of the program and make recommendations for future program refinement and development.

As anticipated, the 2006 Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan was well received.  Residents participated in several water conservation initiatives including toilet and washing machine replacement programs, the purchase of subsidized rain barrels as well as downspout disconnection inspections and conservation education initiatives. 

In its fourth year, the Welland Conservation Program for 2009 promises to be an even greater success!

Program Plan (2009):

The following initiatives as priorities for the 2009 program plan:

1. Residential Sector (Indoor and Outdoor Water and Energy Conservation Initiatives)
2. Public Education and Promotion

1. Residential Sector

Similar to previous years, residents will be offered an opportunity to participate in both indoor and outdoor water conservation initiatives in the following ways: 

Indoor Water Conservation Initiatives:

1. Toilet Replacement Incentive

In 2008, the “Flush with Savings” incentive was well received with a total of 631 toilet purchases approved for the incentive.  It is recommended that this initiative continue in 2009, maintaining the resident rebate as $60.00 per toilet (approximately 40% of the average retail cost).

2. Washing Machine Replacement Incentive

The “Wash n Save” incentive was well received in 2008 with a final total of 383 washing machine purchases approved for the incentive, it is recommended that this initiative continue in 2009, maintaining the resident rebate at $100.00 per washing machine.

Indoor Energy Conservation

Home Energy Audits

The Welland Conservation Program will continue with the Home Energy Audit program that was implemented in 2008. These audits will be conducted by Green Venture, a non-profit and non-biased third-party ecoENERGY home evaluator.  Green Venture’s Certified Energy Advisors are trained in building science and have used the federal government’s residential energy efficiency advice and rating system since 1997.

Together with Welland hydro, the program will provide 50 homeowners, on a first come first serve basis, with a $100 incentive towards the initial Home Energy Audit, lowering the audit cost to $200.  The homeowner could be eligible to receive an additional $125 incentive from the province

The home energy audits are a first step towards utilizing provincial and federal grants up to $10,000 for increasing energy efficiency of existing homes.

Outdoor Water Conservation Initiatives:

1. Rain Barrel Purchase

The subsidized rain barrel program proved to be an enormous success in 2008 thus the program will continue again in 2009. For more details, please see the RAIN BARRELS section of our website.

2. Downspout Disconnection Program

In the summer of 2006, the Downspout Inspection Program began as a component of the City of Welland’s Water Conservation Program. City representatives conduct inspections of building roof downspouts and associated lot drainage on residential and commercial properties in selected areas of the city with a history of basement flooding. Information collected during these inspections was incorporated into inflow and infiltration studies.

3. Smart Gardening Program

During the summer, residential water use increases significantly. This dramatic increase in water use can be attributed to lawn and garden watering; swimming pools; car washing; and, because life moves out-of-doors during the warm weather months, the frequency of showering, bathing, and laundry washing increases. The Smart Gardening Program (SGP) targets the residential sector and principally focuses upon single-family dwellings, which due to the size of property, account for the highest per capita outdoor water use. Visit the Region’s Smart Gardening website for useful tips and information.

2.  Public Education and Promotion

Children Education:

• Involves educating elementary school aged children, in a group setting, about water and energy issues, including water and energy conservation, water pollution and water filtration. 
• Furthermore, we want to challenge children to conserve water and energy and will continue doing this by working with school and summer camp programs.

Adult Education:

• Similar to previous years Adult Education will be provided through various sources, such as our website, at different events and through water bill inserts.

Program Monitoring:

Water meter installations and the rising water/sewer rates are expected to result in significant ongoing public interest and participation in the 2009 Welland Conservation Program. The replacement incentive and rain barrel initiatives could ‘sell-out’ early per the current program budget.  Consequently, the program expenditures will have to be closely monitored and decisions related to extending the program will have to be considered later in the year. A ‘follow-up’ program will be established as a means of measuring program success.