In November 2019, Efficiency Canada published Canada’s first Provincial Energy Efficiency Policy Scorecard, marking the début of an annual process of comparative follow-up and analysis of provincial energy efficiency initiatives. The provinces were evaluated in 5 categories: energy efficiency programs, enabling measures, buildings, transportation and industry.

Quebec had an impressive score in these rankings, coming in second just behind British Columbia. Quebec was the leader in vehicle electrification and placed first in terms of natural gas savings, due in part to support from programs available through Énergir and Transition énergétique Québec. For natural gas, Quebec had an annual savings level of 1.3% of domestic sales in 2018, almost as high as the top American state (Minnesota). The building situation in Quebec will be detailed in our next newsletter.

Despite its enviable position, there is still a lot of potential for improving energy efficiency policies, as Quebec’s score there was 48 out of 100. According to the Efficiency Canada analysis there is much room for improvement in terms of policies and programs for buildings, given that Quebec scored only 5 out of a possible 18 points in that regard. Compared to British Columbia with its score of 14 points, Quebec could improve its score if its building codes were more restrictive and if it increased measures to enforce compliance with the codes. For example, British Columbia insists that all new construction be net-zero, energy-ready buildings by 2032.

We are very pleased to note that Efficiency Canada allocated 1 point to Quebec for the Building Energy Challenge!

For more information, consult the report or the different provincial scorecards.