Students living in residence at the Justice Institute of B.C. (JIBC) campus in Chilliwack may not even notice how eco-friendly they are being when they take a shower.

That's because of the 14 solar panels behind the building that are used to heat water for showers, sinks and laundry machines in the 150-bed residence.

The $70,550 energy efficiency retrofit project was completed as part of the Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PSECA) between the BC Government and SolarBC, with funding from PSECA, FortisBC and the JIBC Foundation.

This was part of $2.8 million in solar panel installations on 24 schools, nine colleges and universities, and five hospitals.

"These solar energy panels will not only help heat the student residence at the Justice institute, the installation of them provides jobs in the community," said Chilliwack MLA John Les when they were first announced. "The more we see projects like this one we see, the more we'll see energy savings and job growth in B.C."

"These solar panels are a tangible example of how we can take steps to meet our energy needs with a reduced impact on the environment," Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner said. "B.C. is blessed with an array of renewable energy options, including wind, hydro and solar energy."