Burns Lake
Name: Village of Burns Lake
Population: 2,107
Highlights: Burns Lake is our Bronze winner in the Lightweight division, scoring 6,780 points. It was a runner-up in last year’s Turn It Off Challenge and has completed a Community Energy Plan.
Community Energy Planning
The Village of Burns Lake received funding from Fraser Basin Council and the Ministry of Community Services to produce a Community Energy Plan that outlines a vision and recommendations to strengthen the community’s resilience in the future.
The planning consists of establishing an “energy baseline†by comparing energy consumption and GHG emissions across sectors (transportation, buildings and land waste).
The Sustainable Office
After a successful Turn It Off Challenge Campaign, the Village of Burns Lake staff are looking to showcase upcoming green office initiatives like a green purchasing policy and energy efficiency practices around the office (i.e. they have programmable thermostats installed in municipal buildings). The idea is to inspire community members and businesses to do the same by leading by example.
Bio-Energy Cogeneration
Guided by the policy actions contained in the BC Energy Plan: A Vision for Clean Energy Leadership, and the Bioenergy Strategy. BC Hydro is planning a two-phase call for power to utilize wood infected by the mountain pine beetle as well as other wood fibre fuel sources. The partnership of Renegy, Comfor, Pioneer Log Homes Ltd. and Pinnacle Pellet Ltd. were among 3 local private partnerships to submit a proposal to BC Hydro for a Bio-Energy co-generation plant.
Considering how much woodwaste from the mills that succumbs to open burning – between 1,000 and 2,000 piles of wood are burned every year – this has been a sleeping source of electricity and heating with a great potential.
