Bridgewise is a pilot project designed to help Bridgewater residents learn about their household energy use in real time. The goal is to help residents save energy and money by making informed decisions about their energy use. For example, Bridgewise might suggest that you lower your thermostat at night. It might also direct you to energy upgrade programs for heat pumps or insulation.

There is also a community-wide benefit. Bridgewise will help the Town of Bridgewater measure energy use across the community. With this information, the Town and our partners can make better decisions for all residents. Our overall goal is to make home energy more affordable while addressing climate change.

Bridgewise works through a sensor that is installed in your home. Every hour, the sensor collects information such as indoor temperature, humidity and CO2 levels. Information about electricity use is also collected from Nova Scotia Power with your consent. You can see this information on the Bridgewise portal on your phone or computer.

When you sign up for Bridgewise or our Home Upgrades program, we will ask you questions about the structure of your home, for example, the size of the building and number of rooms. The information you provide, together with new information from Bridgewise technology, will show patterns in your energy use. Bridgewise will also provide tips to help you save energy and money.

In addition, Bridgewise measures outdoor weather conditions, which we collect from an online weather service. All of this information is stored on a secure server and can only be accessed by the Bridgewise team. We use this information to help individual households save energy and money. We also use the data to make better decisions for the Town and the environment.

Your privacy is very important. Information you provide and information collected from your home will not be shared without your permission.

LoRaWAN stands for Long Range Wide Area Network. It is a wireless method for transmitting information over long distances. This network allows Bridgewise to transmit information from sensors in your home to the Bridgewise team at Town Hall. Information is transmitted securely and at no cost to you.

How LoRaWAN works:

1.   Long Range: It can send data over long distances, even a few kilometres. This is useful because Bridgewise sensors are located across the town.

2.   Low Power: The sensors don't require a lot of energy to send their messages. This means batteries last a long time.

3.   Low Data Rate: Only small amounts of information can be transmitted. The network cannot send large amounts of data. It cannot send photos or videos.

4.   Scalable: The network works well with just a few sensors—or with hundreds of sensors.

5.   Two-Way Street: The sensors can send and receive messages. This means Bridgewise can transmit information from your home to the Bridgewise cloud services.

6.   Safe: Bridgewise technology has been tested extensively. Your data is transmitted securely, and your privacy is maintained at all stages.

If you choose to participate in Bridgewise, the indoor data collected from your home can include:

• Energy use – how much electricity your home is using at any given time.

• Indoor humidity – how much moisture is in the air.

• Indoor temperature – the temperature inside your home.

• CO2 levels – the amount of carbon dioxide in your home.

• The battery level and status of the sensor.

All of this information is collected by the sensors in your home, except electricity use. We collect information about your home's electricity use from Nova Scotia Power. This is the most effective way to learn about electricity use because no additional sensors are required. This data will only be collected with your permission and participation.

Data travels from your home to our team in Bridgewater. It travels through a private network that we developed for Bridgewise. The network is not used for any other purpose. Information is stored on a secure server. Only the Bridgewise team can access this information. Our team analyzes the data to help you understand your energy use and indoor air quality and consider improvements.

Only members of your household and members of the Bridgewise team can see your information. You will see information on a secure Bridgewise website or “portal”.

Outside of your home, only Bridgewise staff can see the personal information gathered by Bridgewise. Personal information means any information that can be used to identify you. We will not share your personal information without your knowledge and consent.

When you sign up for Bridgewise, we will ask for your permission to share information in the following limited ways:

1. We may share a limited amount of personal information with our Bridgewise partners. Our partners are organizations that help to develop and run Bridgewise. These are the Nova Scotia Community College, Nova Scotia Power, Efficiency Nova Scotia, and the Clean Foundation.

We only share information with our partners when we need their help. For example, we may share your address with Efficiency Nova Scotia. This would help us learn about rebates or grants to finance home energy upgrades. Or we may review your home’s energy use with the Clean Foundation. This would help us learn which energy upgrades are suitable for your home.

2. The Government of Canada has provided funding for Bridgewise. To ensure these funds are allocated responsibly, we send detailed reports back to the government. These reports do not include personal information. If we are required to include personal information, we mark it as “confidential.” This means the government cannot use the information for other purposes.

In addition, we may share Bridgewise information with researchers. We work with researchers at the Nova Scotia Community College and McGill University. In the future, we may work with other researchers as these partnerships help us improve Bridgewise. Working with researchers also helps other communities learn from our success. To request your participation in this type of research, we will contact you directly. We will not share your personal information with researchers without your explicit consent.

The goal of Bridgewise is to help you learn about your energy use and indoor air quality. To accomplish this goal, Bridgewise collects various types of information about your home. This information includes:

• Indoor temperature, humidity and CO2 levels

• Electricity use

• Information you provide to us about your home (for example, the number of rooms and occupants)

• A copy of your emails or texts sent to us about Bridgewise

This information allows Bridgewise to offer personalized advice about your energy use. In turn, this allows you to save money and improve your home comfort. It also helps the whole Town of Bridgewater make better decisions about energy affordability and climate change.

When you sign up for Bridgewise, we will ask for your explicit and informed consent. This will cover the collection, use, and sharing of your data as outlined in our privacy statement: www.EnergizeBridgewater.ca/privacy

We understand your concerns about sharing this information. We have taken many steps to ensure your information is kept secure and private. Information is encrypted when it travels from your home to our server. This means no one else can access or “read” the data. We have tested the security of this system extensively.

Through this program, residents can:

·       See how much electricity your home is using at any given time.

·       Save energy and money. Measuring your energy use will help you make decisions. For example, you might learn that lowering the thermostat at night will keep your home comfortable and also save money.

·       See the temperature, humidity and CO2 levels in your home. This will tell you about your indoor air quality. It can help you make your home more comfortable. For example, mould can grow if the humidity is too high. When you have this information, you can take steps to make your home safe and comfortable.

·       Get advice from our team. The Bridgewise staff will help you make decisions about your energy use. You will receive automated tips and tricks through the Bridgewise portal. If you have signed up for emails or text messages, we can send information that way too.

·       Learn about solutions and programs that save energy. Our team will provide information about heat pumps, insulation and other household changes that save energy. We will also provide information about government programs to help you afford these changes.

·       See how home upgrades are saving energy. If you have made upgrades to your home, Bridgewise will help you monitor any changes in energy use.

·       Help your community. The Town of Bridgewater wants to reduce energy use and make energy more affordable. We also want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding how energy is used in homes can help us achieve these goals.

·       Help the environment. By using less energy in your home, you will help reduce greenhouse gases in the air. This is very important for addressing climate change.

Bridgewise provides residents with real-time data that helps identify energy inefficiencies. By understanding your energy use patterns, you can then make use of other Energize Bridgewater programs and make changes to lower costs, such as using energy-efficient appliances or improving home insulation.

Bridgewise monitors indoor air quality and provides users with data that they can then use to improve ventilation and air circulation, which can lead to healthier living conditions.

Energy poverty refers to the inability to afford adequate energy services. In communities like Bridgewater, outdated housing stock, rising energy costs, and harsh winters have left many households struggling. Bridgewise helps by providing data-driven insights that empower residents to reduce energy expenses and improve living conditions.

Bridgewise is currently available to households that are part of the Home Upgrades pilot program. The Town of Bridgewater aims to expand this initiative to more residents as it continues to grow and achieve its goals.

Residents who have completed the Home Upgrades program and are interested in participating can visit bridgewise.energizebridgewater.ca or contact the team at info@energizebridgewater.ca or (902) 530-3621 for more information.

Through Energize Bridgewater, the Town of Bridgewater is able to run this program at no cost to participants.

By promoting energy efficiency and retrofitting homes, Bridgewise helps reduce GHG emissions, contributing to a more sustainable future. The initiative also supports the transition to clean energy by empowering residents to make informed energy choices.

Bridgewise is one of the key components of Energize Bridgewater, a broader initiative focused on reducing energy poverty, promoting environmental sustainability, and stimulating economic growth. Energize Bridgewater integrates energy efficiency, clean tech, and social equity to create long-term benefits for the community.

Energize Bridgewater aims to reduce the community-wide energy poverty rate and eventually lift all households out of energy poverty, by making energy-efficient living accessible to everyone. The program also contributes to environmental sustainability and economic development through clean energy initiatives.

If you have questions about Bridgewise, please contact our Energize Program Navigator at info@energizebridgewater.ca or 902-530-3621.