The City of Calgary, in partnership with The Arusha Centre, is helping Calgarians and businesses save money by sharing ways to lower their energy use. The City will host an educational pop-up event from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brookfield Place, located downtown at 225 6 Ave. S.W. to highlight energy efficient practices. Registrations for the Calgary Climate Symposium will also open online on Oct. 2, as part of The City’s commitment to support sustainable practices year-round. The Calgary Climate Symposium runs Oct. 21-25 at calgary.ca/climatesymposium.
In the spirit of Energy Efficiency Day, the educational pop-up on Oct. 2 will include a collection of booths and displays by The City, Arusha Centre and BOMA Calgary, focusing on the value of renewable energy. The pop-up will be available on the north side of the +15 at Brookfield Place, going towards Bow Valley Square.
“There are environmental impacts from our energy use and we can be much more efficient, saving money and our planet,” says Gerald Wheatley, Manager, The Arusha Centre. “This is why Energy Efficiency Day is so important. The Arusha Centre is partnering with The City of Calgary on outreach initiatives to make it fun and easy to reduce our energy use.”
Calgarians and businesses can take steps to lower their energy use by:
- Washing your clothes in cold water
- Waiting for a full load to do the laundry
- Hanging your clothes to dry outside on a line or inside on a drying rack
- Waiting for a full load to do the dishes
- Weatherstripping your home
- Using a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature when you’re not home or at the office
- Turning off lights in rooms not in use
- Upgrading to energy efficient appliances.
The City also has many resources to help Calgarians and businesses lower their energy use, including the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP), the Home Energy Label Program, the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (BenchmarkYYC) and the Green Buildings Priority Stream Program. A complete list of energy efficient programs and resources are available at calgary.ca/environment/programs.
“Energy Efficiency Day gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on our energy usage,” says Carolyn Bowen, Director, Climate and Environment, The City of Calgary. “From home energy improvements to buying higher efficiency appliances, small changes can add up to significant energy savings over time. We encourage Calgarians to look at the energy programs available on calgary.ca. These programs include energy efficient practices that can have the added benefit of lower utility bills.”
Every year, the first Wednesday in October is recognized globally as Energy Efficiency Day–a day to educate and increase awareness of how energy is used, how it is wasted and how it can be better used in everyday life. Energy efficient initiatives help our planet, create jobs and offer innovative options for cost-saving products and services to individuals and businesses.
The City of Calgary has recognized Energy Efficiency Day since 2021, when Mayor Gondek signed the initial proclamation. Renewed annually, this proclamation is just one of the ways The City is prioritizing energy efficiency and sustainable practices year-round.
Energy Efficiency Day has also been integrated into The City’s education and outreach initiatives outlined in the 2023-2026 Climate Implementation Plan. These initiatives serve to educate and support Calgarians in adopting year-round sustainable practices.
To learn more about Energy Efficiency Day and how you can adopt energy efficient practices, visit calgary.ca/energyefficiencyday.
