QUEST-Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow

The capacity for integrated urban energy solutions (ICES) policies to
reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions

QUEST released a major national study looking at how the economy and the environment could be helped by rethinking the way our communities are designed and how people travel and commute.

The study, prepared by MK Jaccard and Associates Inc. with input from some of the leading Canadian energy, land use and transportation experts, looked together at what would happen by integrating these solutions, using data from four communities - the Greater Toronto Area, ON; Winnipeg, MB; Dawson Creek, BC; and Fort McMurray, AB; and scaled up its findings to the national level.

QUEST then applied "integrated community energy solutions" (ICES) to each community to see what would happen to the economy and greenhouse gas emissions if these were put in effect. These solutions include building more close-knit communities, adding district heating and cooling systems, improving public transportation and developing policies that enable people to work closer to home, cutting commuting.

The study found that by applying comprehensive integrated community energy solutions, Canadians could:

• Reduce Canada's yearly greenhouse gas emissions by 12 per cent by 2050,
• Save up to $29 billion by 2050 from reductions in overall direct capital spending, as well as spending on labour and energy, and
• Reduce spending on energy in households and in the service and construction sectors by billions more.

The study demonstrates that it is possible to save money, create jobs, grow the economy and reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously through integrated community energy solutions.