In 2014, the Windsor community...

- Spent $841 million on energy (electricity, natural gas, transportation fuel) of which at least 80% ($668 million) leaves our community immediately upon expenditure. Rather than money that could be spent in Windsor restaurants and shops, that money goes to oil companies and refineries, pipeline companies and external electricity generators. A preliminary Community Energy Plan target is to increase local retention of energy expenditure to more than half.
- Under a business-as-usual case, community energy expenditure will increase to between 1.8 and 3.2 billion per year by 2041
- Produced greenhouse gas emissions that would require 57 forests the same size as Windsor to capture those emissions.
- Consumed energy equivalent to that required to provide 232,000 homes with energy in a year, 3.6 times the number dwellings in the city.
- Windsor homes use 35% more energy than the Ontario average, and more than double the Danish average.

What is the City of Windsor doing?

The City of Windsor is currently developing a Community Energy Plan (CEP). The CEP looks to identify ways to boost our local economy, create jobs, reduce our impact on the environment by reducing the amount of energy we collectively use for our homes, businesses, schools, industries and travel. The Plan is for our whole community, not just municipal buildings and we are looking for your advice to make this Plan the best fit for Windsor. 

By contributing your thoughts on the vision and goals, we can set a strong direction for the future.  We are also looking for your thoughts and input on how you use energy at work, home and on the road to help shape strategies within the Plan. Responses will be reviewed by the Project Management Team and incorporated into the plan’s development and communication strategies. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

For more information, visit www.windsorenvironmentalmasterplan.ca

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1. DRAFT VISION: The Community Energy Plan aims to create economic advantage, mitigate climate change and improve energy performance. It aims to position Windsor as an energy centre of excellence that boasts efficient, innovative, and reliable energy systems that contributes to the quality of life of residents and businesses.

Are there improvements needed to the draft vision?

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2. Which benefits of a Community Energy Plan do you feel are most important? (Choose three)

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3. What type of building do you own/rent?

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4. To what extent is improving energy efficiency a priority for you?

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5. How often do you participate in the following activities?

  All of the time Most of the time Some of the time Never
Use public transit, walk, cycle or carpool instead of using a personal car
Perform energy-intensive activities like washing clothes during off-peak hours (7:00pm-7:00am)
Unplug appliances when not in use
Turn lights off in rooms not being used
Buy energy efficient lights or appliances when replacing old ones
Air dry clothes rather than use a drier
Turn thermostat down in rooms not in use
Other (specify below)

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6. Have you or the building/home owner carried out any energy efficiency activities in the last 5 years? (Choose all that apply)

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7. ENWIN, Union Gas, and the provincial and federal governments have offered energy conservation and efficiency programs in Windsor.  Are you aware of/participated in any of the following:

  Aware of Participated in N/A
ENWIN Save on Energy
Union Gas Home Reno Rebate
Union Gas Energy STAR® incentives
Hydro One Save Energy rebates
Ontario Clean Energy Benefit
Federal ecoENERGY program

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8. What has held you back from doing more to increase your household or business’ energy efficiency? (Choose all that apply)

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9. Are you planning any sort of home or building renovations within the next five years?

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10. On a scale of 1 to 5, how willing are you to explore the following energy efficiency measures, where 1 is not willing and 5 is very willing?

  1 2 3 4 5 N/A
Lighting improvements (i.e. low energy/LED bulbs, dimmers or motion sensors)
Using a programmable thermostat to control temperature and time home is heated
Adjusting your home temperature by a few degrees to use less energy
Changing to Energy Star rated appliances (dishwasher, fridge, washing machine or dryer)
Replacing your hot water system with a more efficient one
Upgrading your furnace to an Energy Star rated one
Installing weather striping
Adding insulation to your home
Installing a geothermal heating system
Installing solar panels on your home
Investing in community renewable energy installations with your neighbours
Replacing your AC (central or window unit) with Energy Star rated one
Replacing existing windows and doors with more efficient ones
Heating your pool with solar energy
Having more control over the operation of your home through the internet
Having an electric vehicle

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11. What is most important to you when considering home/property improvements

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12. Please rate from 1 to 5 how interested you would be in participating in a home or business retrofit program aimed at reducing your electricity and heating costs, where 1 is not interested at all and 5 is very interested.

Participation in the retrofit program would be voluntary. The upfront program costs would be paid for by the City, with repayment provided through an increase to your personal property tax (assigned only to the home which is benefiting from the retrofit). The cost of the tax increase would at least be covered by the savings you would see on your utility bill (i.e. property tax would be cost-neutral). The increase in your property taxes would remain until the cost of the retrofit was paid off. If you sold the house following a retrofit, the loan would remain on the property tax, not with the original home owner.

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13. If cleaner alternatives to natural gas were available at a lower cost, please rate from 1 to 5 how interested you would be in changing how you heat your home or business, where 1 is not interested at all and 5 is very interested

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14. Please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:

Renewable energy integration at the provincial, municipal and household scales is an important aspect of energy planning.

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15. What sources do you trust to provide information related to energy choices? (Check all that apply)

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16. What is your preferred way to receive information? Please select your top three. (Check up to 3)

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17. Any other comments or ideas you would like to share to help shape the Windsor Community Energy Plan? (Optional)

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18. Contact Information (Required for Contest)

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