“The PEI Office of Energy Efficiency has been very successful helping Island homeowners reduce their energy costs by making their homes more energy efficient,” said the Minister. “To see the province’s ranking jump from a D to a B shows the positive impact our energy efficiency programs are having across the province.”

The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance recently released its 2009 National Energy Efficiency Report Card. The report card evaluates governments on their energy efficiency performance every two years. It looks at how well governments have followed through on their promises, the effectiveness of their programs, initiatives in transportation, support for energy efficiency in building codes and product standards, public outreach programs, the existence of public/private partnerships to support energy efficiency initiatives, and other factors.

In a news release, the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance said Prince Edward Island is doing extremely well increasing energy efficiency throughout the province. It identified as important the programs offered through the PEI Office of Energy Efficiency, increasing wind generation, establishing efficiency standards for the purchase of government vehicles and starting the process of implementing a province-wide building code.

Since government opened the PEI Office of Energy Efficiency two years ago, more than 4,000 Islanders have taken advantage of programs to reduce their household energy consumption.

The average homeowner received $2,500 in incentives and realized $1,200 savings in their yearly energy bills as a result of the home improvements.

“We are making significant progress reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and, in turn, reducing energy bills for Islanders,” said Mr. Brown. “We will continue to implement measures that reduce our energy consumption and promote public awareness of energy conservation strategies.”