Transformative energy efficiency and conservation: a sustainable development path approach in British Columbia, Canada

Achieving the greatly enhanced levels of reduction in energy demand that are required for climate stabilization will require new approaches to energy efficiency and conservation that go well beyond conventional approaches. Broadening the scope from discrete goals to systemic development path changes can contribute to sustainable futures by helping to overcome barriers to energy efficiency and by enhancing and expanding co-benefits, including improving social welfare and energy security. We call this approach transformative energy efficiency and conservation (TEEC). The province of British Columbia, Canada, has recently emerged as a locus for new energy efficiency and conservation initiatives that push the boundaries of what has been tried before in this jurisdiction. This paper examines the British Columbia case concluding that, although still in the early stages, the province is taking steps toward the development path changes that would be required to achieve transformative energy efficiency and conservation.