Energy Efficiency Programs See All

Energy efficiency programs secure energy savings through various strategies such as audits, retrofits, training for building tradespeople, “people-centred” or behavioural efficiency strategies, and customized industrial programs.

Energy Efficiency Program Administration

Natural gas programs are administered by SaskEnergy.  SaskPower administers some outreach and education programs, but does not target electricity savings.  Both are provincially-owned utilities.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Energy Efficiency Targets

SaskEnergy has internal natural gas savings targets. SaskPower no longer pursues electricity savings.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Energy Efficiency as a Resource

There is not a provincial mandate to purse energy efficiency in Saskatchewan, through a regulated process with the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel. However, the Government of Saskatchewan's Climate Resilience Framework identifies SaskPower's energy efficiency programs as part of the provincial climate change strategy.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Efficiency Potential Study and Energy Planning

At the end of 2017, SaskPower conducted a Conservation Potential Review that identified the electricity savings and demand reductions available in Saskatchewan. There have been no updates since this review. 

In 2020, SaskPower performed a beneficial electrification study to determine the potential fuel switching from fossil fuels to electricity for residential, commercial, and industrial technologies. The research included cost savings for consumers and SaskPower, the feasibility of technology deployment, possible GHG reductions, and anticipated load increase.

Last review: November 2022

Cost-Effectiveness Testing

No cost-effectiveness test is in use at SaskPower for externally administered energy efficiency programs.

SaskEnergy is developing more comprehensive cost-effectiveness tests in 2022-23.

Last review: November 2022

Evaluation, Measurement and Verification

SaskEnergy current five-year EM&V plan was developed by a third-party. Process evaluations are conducted approximately one year after a new program is launched, after a major program change, upon identification of observable issues, or after three to five years if there are no major changes. Process evaluations may be completed internally or by a third-party. Market evaluations are conducted to inform program decisions during program development, when new technology is on the market, in cases of low participation rate and every three to five years if there have been no major changes. Market evaluations maybe done internally or by third-party. For impact evaluations, a regular review of measures and assumptions is done internally at least annually to ensure codes and standards changes, program design, evaluation results, identification of errors and/or new information are properly considered. Impact evaluations are completed following major regulation changes and for all new measures. In-depth third party Impact Evaluation/Savings Verification is conducted every three to five years.

SaskPower Evaluation Plans are created for all new programs at inception. Program data is captured, monitored and tracked during program delivery dependent on the Evaluation Plan. All programs are evaluated at completion by comparing program results with the objectives set out in program design document.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Support for low-income energy efficiency programs

There are no legislative or regulatory requirements regarding programing for low-income and/or hard-to-reach populations.

SaskPower administered a Home Assistance Pilot Program with Saskatchewan Housing Corporation to deliver energy kits to low income households between 2015 and 2017/18. In 2019, SaskPower launched the Energy Assistance Program, targeting income qualified households in Regina and Saskatoon.

SaskEnergy operates the Tune-Up Assistance Program which delivers a home heating ‘tune-up’ to homeowners free of charge.  The program is open to households with a combined income of less than $68,000.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Enabling Policies See All

Enabling policies refer to policies, regulations, and other activities that build supportive infrastructure and policy frameworks to advance energy efficiency in a province. 

Support for Financing

PACE financing
In 2021, the City of Saskatoon introduced the Home Energy Loan Program to support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and reduced water use. As of April 2022, the program has reached capacity. New applications are put on a wait-list. The program offers loans of $1,000-$40,000 (and up to $60,000 if the project cuts energy use by 50%) over 5, 10, and 20-year terms with 1.68%, 2.23%, 2,72% interest rates respectively.

Third-Party Financing
SaskEnergy Network Members offer financing on natural gas appliances. Loan amounts range from $1,000 to $60,000, with one-to-five-year terms and up to a 15-year amortization period, but there is no on-bill repayment.  In 2020-21, 525 participants accessed this financing totalling $3.9 million.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Research and Development

Dedicated innovation funding
SaskEnergy has a dedicated budget for Technology Innovation, focused on energy savings and GHG reductions.  The budget can be used for both end-use energy efficiency and transportation, as well as fuel switching and reducing GHGs associated with the fuel itself. 

The Saskatchewan Advantage Innovation Fund is managed by Innovation Saskatchewan to support technological innovations in core economic sectors, one of which is energy.

Pilots, projects, and demonstrations

SaskEnergy collaborated with stakeholders to design and install a gas heat pump demo unit at a SaskEnergy building. They also supported the planning phase of a combined heat and power boiler demonstration project. The demo boiler units are expected to be installed in 2022.

Program innovation
SaskPower ran a pilot program with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation to provide free home retrofits in Southend, SK. Energuide home audits were performed on each participating home in fiscal 2021. The learnings from the pilot program were applied to the Northern First Nations Home Retrofit program that launched in December 2021.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Lead by example

Buildings
The 2017 Climate Change Strategy states that the government will require new and renovated government buildings to exceed the 2015 National Energy Code for Buildings by 10%. The strategy also calls for increasing the number of government buildings with a sustainability certification. By 2016-2017 47 government buildings received BOMA BEST certification.

Vehicle Fleets
The 2017 Climate Change Strategy calls for using idle time limiters on government trucks, and commits to greater efficiency and lower emissions in government transportation fleets.

Last reviewed: November 2021

Grid Modernization

Advanced metering
SaskPower has installed AMI meters at 98% of its commercial, industrial and farm sites. In 2021SaskPower launched a residential AMI meter pilot program which aims to reach 100% of residential customers with AMI meters over the next 3years. To date, 3% of residential customers have two-way meters.

Nearly 100% of SaskEnergy's residential and non-residential customers have two-way meters

Non-wires alternatives
SaskEnergy reported that it has shifted its strategy to target end-use energy efficiency prior to infrastructure investments in capacity expansions. SaskPower reported that its planning process for its transmission system considers the most cost-effective wires or non-wires solutions.

Conservation voltage reduction
SaskPower is planning a volt-var optimization pilot in 2021-2022. This pilot will leverage volt-var information acquired through AMI meters and smart substation metering and reclosers used to establish a dynamic volt-var baseline. This baseline will be used to implement measures to compensate for volt-var to reduce system losses.

SaskPower has planned a volt-var optimization pilot for 2022. This pilot will leverage volt-var information acquired through AMI meters and smart substation metering and reclosers used to establish a dynamic volt-var baseline. This baseline will be used to implement measures to compensate for volt-var to reduce system losses

Other
SaskPower has four other major initiatives underway, including the development of an outage management system, a distribution SCADA system, substation automation, and creating a new distribution control centre.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Carbon Pricing

Proceeds from Saskatchewan's provincially-administered industrial pricing system go to the Saskatchewan Technology Fund, which can be used by the government to support emissions-reduction projects in regulated facilities. The criteria for determining eligible projects has yet to be published,  but will be released before the first due date for compliance payments. The compliance payments from large emitters under the provincial OBPS are due at the end of 2022.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Buildings See All

Buildings are a significant and often neglected component of Canada’s infrastructure, and high-performance buildings are important for our quality of life, physical and mental health, and economic productivity

Building Codes

Housing and Small Buildings
Regulation 128/2017 to the Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act adopted section 9.36 of the 2015 National Building Code of Canada, relating to energy efficiency in homes and small buildings. These standards came into force on January 1, 2019.

The province has proposed a January 2024 adoption date for the 2020 National Building Code. This date has been approved by the minister but needs to go through the regulatory approval process.

Large Buildings
Regulation 93/2018 to the Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act adopted the 2017 National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings, coming into force on January 1, 2019.

Stretch or Step Codes
No stretch or step codes.

The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Regulation states that future editions of the National Building Code of Canada will be adopted one year after being issued (Part II, Section 4(a))

Net-zero energy ready commitment
No commitment to net-zero energy ready codes.

A “What we Heard” consultation document from April 23, 2018 on the government’s climate strategy noted tracking the number and percentage of net-zero ready buildings in the province.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Building Code Compliance

Saskatchewan developed a Guide to Implementation of NECB 2017 which includes tools such as a compliance checklist.

Training sessions have been conducted through the Saskatchewan Building Officials Association, the Building and Technical Standards (BTS) and Licensing Branch of the Ministry of Government Relations, and the Canada Green Building Council.

SaskEnergy has taken part in a provincial committee on codes and code compliance.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Home Energy Rating and Disclosure

Mandatory home energy rating and disclosure: No
Home energy labelling voluntary or pilot program: No

The December 2017 Climate Change Strategy states that the government will “explore options to label buildings for energy performance”.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Building Energy Rating and Disclosure

Mandatory large building energy rating and disclosure: No
Voluntary building benchmarking and transparency program: Yes (City of Regina municipal buildings)

The City of Regina participates in the Municipal Benchmarking Network of Canada, which collects data on the energy use of municipal headquarter buildings from participants.

Some buildings in Saskatchewan have voluntarily participated in building benchmarking through Natural Resources Canada using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. As of 2016, there were 275 benchmarked buildings in Saskatchewan, covering 1,250,000 m2.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Appliance and Equipment Market Transformation
Space Heating Windows Water Heating
Research and development SaskEnergy co-funded lab and field testing for a natural gas cold climate heat pump in 2019 and 2020. - -
Pilots and demonstrations - - -
Information and awareness - - -
Technology and installation training SaskEnergy provided training on high efficiency space heating (above code) for SaskEnergy Network Members. - -
Upstream or downstream incentives - - SaskEnergy provides downstream incentives for commercial space and water heating.
Regulation, codes and standards - -

Last reviewed: August 2020

Appliance and Equipment Standards

Saskatchewan harmonizes with federal appliance and equipment energy efficiency regulations.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Efficiency Requirements for Government Supported Housing

No requirements identified.

Last reviewed: August 2019

Transportation See All

Policies tracked in the transporation area reflect the potential energy savings of closer integration of private transportation with buildings and electricity grids. 

Zero-Emission Vehicles Mandate

There is no zero-emission vehicle mandate in Saskatchewan.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Electric Vehicle Charging Program

There is no electric vehicle charging support program in Saskatchewan.

Last reviewed: November 2021

EV and PHEV Financial Incentives

There are no BEV/PHEV financial incentives in Saskatchewan.

Last reviewed: November 2022

“EV Ready” Building Code

Municipalities can include EV/PHEVs in their bylaws but none have done so. There are no EV Ready provisions in Saskatchewan building codes.

Last reviewed: November 2022

Industry See All

In recognition that the industrial sector is highly varied across Canada, this database tracks policies that are broadly applicable to all industrial subsectors and provinces.

Energy Management

SaskPower offers the Power Support Service to support commercial and industrial customers in identifying energy saving opportunities. Their Industrial Energy Optimization Program, which was cancelled in 2021, included an energy management track that provided incentives for the development of energy management systems, energy management information systems, sub-metering, and planning and implementation for ISO 50001 certification. 

Last reviewed: November 2022

Co-generation / Combined Heat and Power

SaskEnergy has funded CHP demonstration projects in commercial buildings and collaborated with building code officials and gas inspectors to identify installations. Both SaskEnergy and SaskPower have identified a lack of streamlined interconnection standards as a barrier to be addressed collaboratively.

Last reviewed: August 2019

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