The Fraser Health Authority will receive a half-million dollars from the provincial government to help fund energy conservation plans at Chilliwack General Hospital.

The province's Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement [PSECA] will kick in $472,850 for the project, which is hoped to eliminate 336 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and save $26,040 in energy costs each year.

CGH is planning a general energy efficiency upgrade, which would include a chiller system upgrade, boiler plant combustion control installation, and roof top HVAC unit replacement at the Parkholm building.

The hospital's plan is one of 23 projects to receive money from the PSECA.

An audit after the program is complete would ensure that the promised energy savings have been achieved.

"The steps we take today to conserve energy and minimize our impact on the environment will have long-lasting benefits," says Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner, former Minister of the Environment.

B.C.'s carbon neutral commitment--enshrined in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act--requires all provincial public sector operations, including government ministries and agencies, schools, colleges, universities, health authorities and Crown corporations, to be carbon neutral for 2010. Carbon neutrality involves measuring emissions, reducing them where possible and offsetting the remainder by investing in projects that reduce GHG emissions.