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Moving Forward on Energy Efficiency in Canada: A Foundation for Action
Annex 1: Principles37
- Address all Stages of Market Transformation: Opportunities exist at different stages in the energy production and use cycles to identify and maximize efficiencies, from research and development through to full market commercialization of efficient technologies.
- Start with Price: Energy prices that reflect full costs will give consumers and investors an incentive to improve energy efficiency. Clear price signals should be the starting point, but price alone is not sufficient.
- Use Multiple Instruments: No single tool provides a solution to improving Canada’s efficiency of energy use. Rather, a variety of tools, implemented by various orders of government, are required to effect significant change in fundamental energy use.
- Maximize Efficiency and Effectiveness: Program resources should be targeted to achieve the greatest efficiency and effectiveness, while taking into account consideration for sectoral coverage and finding the appropriate balance between short-term and long-term efforts. They should be adapted to match each jurisdiction’s needs and specific assets.
- Ensure Equity: Programs and policies should be designed to benefit all consumers and energy users.
- Measure to Manage: Measurement and evaluation are both essential to successful energy efficiency measures. Information is needed to set objectives, measure and report performance and understand trends.
- Develop Capacity: Increase the technical and human capacity of the energy efficiency industry to realize improvements.
- Learn from Experience: Policies and programs should take into account the wealth of best practice experience gained over the past thirty years. Domestic and international experience also needs to be drawn upon. As markets transform, efficiency programs need to be transformed accordingly.
- Commit Long Term: Long term policy and program signals allow markets to transform efficiently, and contribute to institutionalizing a culture of energy efficiency and sustainability.
37 The above principles have been adapted from those developed in 2006 by the Energy Efficiency Working Group, Energy Sector Sustainability Table
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