Chilliwack’s Animal Safe Haven Society is getting a provincial government grant to help upgrade their facility.
The organization will put $40,485 toward solar panels and heat pumps that will significantly reduce operating costs at 49843 Chilliwack Central Road.
“The Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society does important work and I’m glad this funding will help them switch to more efficient energy,” said Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon. ” Solar panels will help reduce costs while keeping all the animals safe and warm.”
The total estimated cost to install solar panels and heat pumps is $84,000. It’s estimated that a move away from baseboard heating in the society’s buildings would cut its BC Hydro bill in half. Energy costs (electric and gas) for the society have spiked during heat waves the last two years.
RELATED: Funds needed to help build new roof over cats’ heads at Chilliwack animal shelter
The society started a GoFundMe campaign in 2022 called ‘Let’s Cool those Cats!’ that raised $2,800 and it is still active at gofundme.com/f/lets-cool-those-cats.
“We want to become as energy efficient as possible because our current set up is very costly on the utilities side,” said Katherine Lemond, president of the safe haven, when the GoFundMe was started. “We have 16 exterior units that are heated with baseboards. We also do up to six loads of laundry a day. And with the last two summers of higher temperatures, we had a lot of electric fans running.”
The society is one of 49 non-profits province wide sharing $5.3 million from the government’s Community Gaming Grants program.
Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society is a registered non-profit no-kill animal welfare group providing shelter and care for cats. For more info, visit on the Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society, visit chilliwacksafehaven.com.
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