FAQs

A Community Energy Plan is a long term plan that looks at how energy is supplied and used across a community.

Community energy is about more than electricity. The Plan will consider electricity, natural gas and other fuels used to power and support:

• Homes and neighbourhoods
• Businesses and industry
• Farms and agriculture
• Transportation
• Community buildings and institutions
• County facilities and operations

By looking at the bigger picture, the County can better understand local energy needs and identify opportunities for energy efficiency, conservation, renewable and low carbon energy, and long term energy planning.

Brant is growing, and our energy needs are changing.

Planning ahead can help us better understand how energy is used today, what may be needed in the future, and where there may be opportunities to use energy more efficiently.

The Plan will explore opportunities that could help:

• Improve energy efficiency and conservation
• Support energy affordability
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Support a reliable and resilient energy system
• Prepare for future growth and energy needs
• Explore local renewable and low carbon energy opportunities
• Support economic development

The Plan will help identify which opportunities make sense for Brant based on local needs, technical information, costs and other considerations.

Technical analysis will help us understand Brant’s energy system, including how energy is currently used and what our future needs may be.

Community and stakeholder input will add local knowledge, lived experience and sector expertise that technical analysis alone cannot provide.

Together, this information will help the County consider factors such as:

• Cost and affordability
• Reliability
• Infrastructure and capacity
• Land use
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Community impacts
• Access
• Technical feasibility

No preferred set of actions has been finalized. The project will consider technical information alongside community and stakeholder input as potential actions are developed.

Community energy planning can help us better understand our energy needs today and prepare for the future. By looking at how energy is used across Brant, the Plan can identify opportunities that may help:

• Use energy more efficiently and reduce energy costs
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Support a reliable and resilient energy system
• Keep more energy investment within the local economy
• Support future growth and economic development
• Explore renewable and low carbon energy opportunities
• Build community understanding of energy and the choices ahead

The Community Energy Plan will help determine which opportunities make sense for Brant based on local needs, costs, technical information and community input.

Energy is something we all use, but no single organization makes all the decisions about how our energy system works.

Planning for Brant's energy future involves the County, energy utilities, the Province, residents, farms and businesses, and many other partners. Each has a different role.

County of Brant

The County makes decisions about areas such as land use, growth, municipal infrastructure and its own facilities and operations. It can also develop local plans and programs, explore partnerships, and identify opportunities to use energy more efficiently.

Ontario municipalities are also required to prepare energy conservation and demand management plans for their own prescribed operations.

Energy utilities

Hydro One and GrandBridge Energy provide electricity service in different parts of Brant, while Enbridge Gas provides natural gas service.

Utilities operate and maintain the infrastructure that delivers energy to customers. Depending on the utility, their responsibilities can include connecting customers, metering, billing, maintaining local infrastructure and responding to outages. Ontario's electricity distributors, for example, operate the local distribution systems that bring electricity to homes and businesses.

The Province of Ontario and provincial agencies

The Province sets the broader direction for Ontario's energy system. Provincial organizations have different responsibilities for areas such as energy regulation, electricity system planning, reliability and rates. 

For example, the Ontario Energy Board regulates the electricity and natural gas sectors and sets or approves certain rates, while the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) plans and operates Ontario's electricity system.

Residents, farms, and businesses

We all have a role too. The choices people and organizations make about buildings, heating and cooling, transportation, equipment, energy efficiency and on-site energy generation all contribute to how energy is used across Brant.

Partners

Governments, conservation authorities, community organizations, industry groups, financial institutions and energy experts can also contribute funding, expertise, programs and partnerships.

So, where does the Community Energy Plan fit?

The Community Energy Plan will help the County better understand the bigger picture, including where it can take action directly, where it can influence decisions, and where working with utilities, governments, community partners and energy users may be needed.

No. The Community Energy Plan is not intended to expand natural gas service or extend natural gas lines into new communities.

Decisions about where and how natural gas services are expanded are made by energy utilities, such as Enbridge Gas, and are subject to provincial regulations and approval processes. These decisions are not made by the County.

The Community Energy Plan will focus on understanding how energy is used across Brant, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and exploring different energy options that could benefit the community.

The County may work with utilities and other partners to better understand local energy needs, but the plan itself does not authorize or guarantee new utility connections.