Honda Canada's and Alberta's First Platinum Green Dealer
It gives us termendous pleasure to announce that after installing our solar panel carport infrastructure, Okotoks Honda has achieved and been rewarded the Platinum Status in the Green Dealer Recognition Program!
Based on key environmental areas of opportunity, Okotoks Honda earned 101 points, demonstrating a 42.7% energy reduction, and is the first Honda dealership in the Foothills, Alberta and Canada to be a Electric Grid Neutral Dealership!
Our Green Dealer program’s goal is to reduce our carbon footprint by over 16,500 metric tons of CO2 per year by 2025. The energy saved could power 3,864 Canadian homes for a year! How do we achieve this? After implementing recommended strategies for better energy efficiency, we were awarded in relation to our success: cutting their energy usage by 50% or more.
Beginning in 2019, Okotoks Honda, in conjunction with Sol Power Projects, began to implement the following measures to attain their Platinum level:
- Installed the largest privately-owned solar carport in Canada
- Exterior energy efficient lighting colors
- LED lighting in restrooms, parts department, service bay, and showroom
- Energy-efficient thermostat cooling and heating set-points
- Motion sensor systems
- Efficient rooftop HVAC Equipment
- Showroom Glass Panels and Skylight
- High Speed Garage Doors
- Recycyling and Waste Reduction
- Energy Efficient Windows
- Efficient water fixtures and rain capture systems
- More technological advancements to still come...
We are graciously, gratefully and abundantly proud to be Honda Canada's first electric grid neutral dealer! "Electric Grid Neutral" means that, when averaged over one year, the dealership offsets its grid electric use with an equal amount of on-site renewable generation exported to the grid.
OKOTOKS HONDA'S GREEN JOURNEY
Our Green initiative began a few years ago when we decided to commit to protect our vehicles with hail structures, without impacting our environment. We worked with SolPower Projects to create a solar panel vehicle infrastructure to not only protect our vehicles but to generate energy to the grid and reduce our overall carbon footprint.
We made adjustments with programmable thermostats, high-speed services doors, in-room motion sensors, low-flow toilets, and low energy consumption computer stations. Our Green journey is far from over; we are working with Honda Canada to reduce our carbon footprint further and implement additional forward-thinking cost-effective efficiencies in the future.
UNDERSTANDING C02 EMISSIONS
Honda has been driven to reduce emissions since 1948, and we're proud to show the results of our efforts. Here's how you can find information about the CO2 emissions of our vehicles. Providing heat and power to buildings accounts for around 46% of Canadian energy consumption and CO2 emissions, more than any other source. It’s more important than ever take measures to help reduce the environmental impact of commercial buildings.
When it comes to increasing energy efficiency, existing guidelines don’t consider auto dealerships’ showrooms, service centres, car washes and body shops – all of which consume significant amounts of energy.