Farm

Energy on the farm information

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers a ten per cent refund on its mortgage loan insurance premium for homeowners who borrow money to build or buy an energy efficient home or renovate an existing one. Homebuyers also have the flexibility of extending the amount of time required to repay their mortgage from 25 years to a maximum of 35 years. The program is currently under review, please check for updated information at http://cmhc.ca/en/co/prfinas/index.cfm (external link)
From time to time, there are specific funding programs available, delivered by Nation Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency, specific equipment manufacturers or the Province of Alberta. More information on funding can be accessed from Energy Solutions Alberta (external link), a one-stop source for information and action on energy efficiency and conservation in the province.

Alberta Agriculture Machinery Cost Calculator (external link) provides farmers with a method to estimate total operating costs of their machinery, the highest energy users on the farm.
Alberta Agriculture has available a publication First Steps To Energy Management (external link), a guideline to energy accounting on the farm and also suggests simple, low-cost changes that could save energy.
New irrigation technology, low energy precision application (LEPA), has been developed in the United States to conserve both water and energy. As part of the Irrigation Sustainability Component of the Canada-Saskatchewan Agricultural Green Plan Agreement a study was initiated to evaluate the potential of implementing LEPA technology.
Scientific Irrigation Scheduling, a project by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (external link), promotes the use of scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS). The SIS enables irrigators to supply the right amount of moisture to their crops at the appropriate time according to plant growth needs and weather data, which results in energy savings exceeding 15 per cent.