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New EV Charging Stations Ready for Use!

Our new EV charging stations are now live and ready to use! Each station operates on a pay-per-use basis, and can be found at the Okotoks Art Gallery, the Operations Building, the Okotoks Recreation Centre and the Viking Rentals Centre. Learn more at the EV Charging Station tab below. 
 

As a community, we all contribute to our town’s combined energy consumption and greenhouse gas footprint. To evolve our community’s energy footprint, the Town is looking for new ways to assist our residents in reducing their energy consumption through advanced energy efficiency programs and alternative energy projects. 

Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit Kit

The Town of Okotoks now offers a Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit Kit with the tools and basic instructions to provide enough information on how to conduct a basic home energy audit by yourself.

Book the kit
 

Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP)

This Program will allow residential property owners to obtain low interest loans from the Town of Okotoks to complete energy efficiency renovations!

Learn about CEIP

​​​​​​Powering off Appliances & Lights

One major way to reduce energy usage in your home is powering off appliances and lights when not in use.  By taking a few short minutes to walk around your home to unplug unnecessary appliances and turn off unused lights, you are able to save a large amount of money on your power bill!

Changing Light bulbs

  • In many homes, light bulbs can act as a large source of heat and energy consumption.  By switching to light emitting diodes (LED) in your home, you are able to save money and energy. 
  • Remember: Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) can be taken to the Eco-Centre for disposal.  Traditional incandescent light bulbs can be placed in your black cart for pickup.

Install Programmable Thermostats

  • Programmable Thermostats are a great way to save energy and money, by keeping your home at an ideal temperature at all times.  Programmable Thermostats range in price from $90 - $400, and can be purchased at most home and hardware centres.

Energy-efficiency for summer heat

Energy-efficient retrofits can help your home stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Here are some retrofit ideas and tips to help keep your home at a comfortable temperature, no matter what the weather is like. These low and no cost fast fixes will help keep your home cool today:

  • Seal and insulate! The best way to save energy is to not use any! Reducing drafts from poorly fitting doors, pipes, windows, or any other pathways that allow air to enter from outside is a cheap and easy way to keep cooler air where it belongs—outside in the winter and inside in the summer! Increasing insulation in attics and/or outside walls can also help. Space heating is the biggest energy user in your home, so these fixes will keep the temperature (and the energy bills) at a more comfortable level all year round. The Town of Okotoks DIY Energy Audit kit has a thermal camera to help identify sources of heat losses. 
  • Windows: Window glazing (adding a transparent or mirrored film to the glass) can reduce solar heat without blocking the view. Well-fitted insulated blinds or curtains can also reduce solar heat from windows by up to 60% (and reduces heat loss in the winter by up to 40%). 
  • Hot (or less hot?) water heaters: Heating water is the second biggest energy user in your home. Most hot water heaters are set by default at 60°C. The US Environmental Protection Agency advises that maintaining a temperature of 49°C is the best temperature to keep your tank safe from bacteria, and can save 5-6% of annual gas use. Check out this NRCan Water Heater Guide for more tips on keeping energy and water use down.

With hot days increasing each summer, larger upgrades can make next year more comfortable: 

  • Cooler roofs: Choosing a light-coloured roof reflects solar light and heat away from your home, reducing the temperature inside. Green roofs, or roofs that are wholly or partially covered by a growth matrix and growing plants, also reduce the heat absorbed by a home. Growing plants on top of your home can not only provide shade and deflect, but also cool the surrounding area by absorbing water through the roots and then releasing it into the air (evapotranspiration). 
  • More on windows: Professional window glazing can be more effective than DIY kits, and gives more options to let light in and keep heat out. Replacing older windows with higher-rated windows can also reduce heat transfer from out to in, and in to out. Well-fitted insulated blinds or curtains can also reduce solar heat from windows by up to 60% (and reduces heat loss in the winter by up to 40%). 
  • More on sealing and insulation: Increasing a home’s air tightness and insulation can be a big project, but it can also have a big payoff. Homes built prior to 1946 have double the heating requirement per square meter than homes built to current standards. 
  • If you’ve done all you can to seal up your house, then an air conditioner can add an additional layer of comfort. If you choose to invest in one, look for energy-efficient models with the EnergyStar logo. 
  • Canada’s Greener Home Program provides zero-interest loans for energy-efficient upgrades—don’t forget to check them out for help on some of these projects!

More energy conservation tips for inside your home:

The Town of Okotoks has electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations available for public use and available to the public 24 hours a day (note: chargers are not reservable). Please note that as a part of the Town of Okotoks' 2024 rates & fees bylaw, there will be a $2 per hour fee for using level 2 charging stations as of January 1, 2024.

EV charging stations can be found at the following locations: 

Level 2 Chargers: 

*Level 2 chargers provide a faster charging time. Please note, as per the 2024 rates and fees bylaw, this charging station will now cost $2/hr + GST.

Municipal Centre:

  • 40 Amp Max, SAE J1772 connector
  • 1 Charger, with 1 plug

Location: 5 Elizabeth Street

Okotoks Arts and Learning Campus:

  • 40 Amp Max, SAE J1772 connector
  • 2 Chargers, with 2 plugs each, for 4 chargers total

Location: 23 Riverside Drive 

Okotoks Recreation Centre:

Location: 99 Okotoks Drive (north end of the building near the curling rink). 

Operations Centre:

Location: 1118 North Railway Street 

Viking Rentals Centre: 

Location: 204 Community Way (northwest parking lot)

Okotoks Art Gallery: 

Location: 53 North Railway Street 

*The level two charging stations at the Okotoks Recreation Centre, Okotoks Operations Centre, Vikings Rental Centre and the Okotoks Art Gallery were purchased with grant funding received by Aviva Canada’s Charged for Change program, presented in partnership with Earth Day Canada. Learn more about the program by visiting aviva.ca/charged-for-change. 

Level 1 Chargers:

Operations Centre:

  • 20 Amp Max - Requires charging cord
  • 5 outlets available

Location: 1118 North Railway Street (in east and west parking areas)

You can find a map of all EV charging stations in Okotoks by visiting chargehub.com

View EV Charging Station Map

Electric Vehicle Question and Answers

Town Facility Solar Installations 

Many of our Town facilities have small scale solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to supplement on-site electricity usage including the Municipal Centre, the Okotoks Art Gallery and the former Okotoks library, which is now occupied by Bow Valley College, Okotoks Campus and Cameron Crossing School. The larger solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are located at the Eco Centre & the Fleet Building and the Viking Rentals Centre (formerly the Centennial Arena). Learn more about the Town's solar facilities at okotoks.ca/sustainable-facilities

Track Okotoks Solar Electricity Production 

Considering Solar Energy for Your Home?

Okotoks receives a lot of sunshine and there is significant potential to harness and make use of energy from the sun in your home! Check out the below resources to get started! 

Financing Opportunities 

There are several ways to harness energy from the sun to use within a building: 

Solar photovoltaics (PV) is a renewable energy technology that converts energy from the sun into electricity. Solar PV projects connected under the Microgeneration Regulation have a bi-directional electricity meter that keeps track of electricity extracted from and transmitted to the electric grid. Typical commercially available solar PV technology is 17 to 22% efficient when converting the energy from sunlight into electricity. The cost to generate electricity from solar PV has decreased by more than 90% since the 1980's. For more information, check out the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre's Solar Friendly Municipalities Toolkit. 

Solar thermal collectors absorb energy from the sun to heat up a liquid that flows through pipes within the collectors. The heated liquid then passes through a heat exchanger which can be used to heat up water in a domestic hot water tank, or heat the air in a building. Solar thermal systems do not generate electricity. Some solar thermal systems allow heat to be transferred and stored in a solid medium (such as the soil in the ground around a building).  

Passive solar heating collects energy from the sun through the windows of a building, it’s as simple as that. The sun heats up heavy building materials which soak up extra heat during the day, to be released at night. This strategy works well for homes that are highly energy efficient, constructed of heavy building materials, and typically have windows facing south. Its effectiveness depends on the building orientation and construction, careful configuration of the size and positioning of the windows, and consideration for how to maximize solar heat in the winter, while minimizing this extra heat in the summer (such as deciduous trees, window overhangs, etc.). 

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