Heads Up Energy Efficiency Newsletter - March 2012

Heads Up: Building Energy Efficiency Newsletter

March 2012

Web picks: Science @ NRCan

The new Web portal Science @ NRCan highlights the essential contributions of government researchers. The site includes articles and videos covering a range of topics, from energy efficiency and renewable energy to earthquake monitoring and research into climate impacts.

Learn all about Diagnostic Agent for Building Operation (DABOTM) software, which improves the performance of a building’s heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

DABO automatically detects faults in HVAC systems. When it detects a problem, it produces an alert that includes a diagnosis and the corrective measures to be taken. Using DABO software leads to improved indoor air quality and significant energy savings.

Read about the development of a zoned heating and cooling system that can significantly reduce energy use. The homeowner can use programmable thermostats to specify different temperatures in different zones of a home. Zoned systems are effective in improving comfort in multi-storey homes, which tend to have higher temperatures on the upper floors.

To read these stories and more, visit Science @ NRCan at www.nrcan.gc.ca/science.

What gets measured gets done

Benchmarking energy performance is a key first step in helping you make decisions about how to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) is developing a national energy benchmarking tool based on ENERGY STAR® Portfolio ManagerTM.

Portfolio Manager will enable building owners and managers to compare a building’s energy performance with the performance of similar buildings across Canada. The Canadian version of the software will be available on a progressive basis, starting in 2013 with office buildings and schools. Other building types will be added over time.

Benchmarking will help you raise the bar on energy efficiency, providing essential information to target investments in energy upgrades, commission existing buildings and train employees to build a culture of energy efficiency.

You can start by using the current version of Portfolio Manager. Your benchmarking data will be automatically transferred when the Canadian version of the software is available.

Hospitals benchmark performance to improve energy efficiency

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Photo © Copyright University Health Network.

Hospitals have been tracking energy data and assessing their energy performance by using benchmarking software. Energy benchmarking and retrofits have led to significant improvements in energy efficiency. Leading hospitals include the following:

  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre monitors and benchmarks energy use and intervenes when spikes in consumption have been detected. The hospital’s energy retrofits will save $2.6 million and reduce GHG emissions by 8965 tonnes annually, the equivalent of taking 1410 cars off the road. Energy retrofits have included upgrades to the chiller plant, boilers and ventilation system. Sunnybrook has also built a solar wall – the largest installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at a Canadian hospital.
     
  • St. Michael’s Hospital reduced energy use by 16 percent and GHG emissions by 19 percent from 2005 to 2009. The hospital installed four solar thermal panels on the roof of the Women’s Health Centre. Energy retrofits will include upgrades to lighting and the building automation system. Grey water is used to cool magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The hospital is also investigating the possibility of constructing a cogeneration plant.
     
  • The University Health Network (UHN) includes the Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. The hospitals have been tracking energy use, GHG emissions and water consumption since 2000. The UHN’s TLC – Care to Conserve program takes a holistic approach to improving behaviours and technologies. The UHN has implemented energy efficiency projects, including the installation of LED lighting, control upgrades and a new training program. These measures have reduced energy costs by $600,000 per year.

Green+Leaders program encourages energy-efficient behaviours

British Columbia’s Lower Mainland Health Authorities launched the pilot Green+Leaders Program to encourage staff to adopt energy-efficient behaviours.

Behavioural change is key to reducing the use of energy and materials. Green+Leaders comprises staff volunteers who encourage sustainable behaviours in their workplaces by

  • acting as early sustainability adopters
  • modelling new behaviours
  • providing colleagues with information on sustainable practices
  • helping individuals identify alternatives

Educational tools include the Energy Audit Tool and Turn It Off Tool. An energy audit involves counting lights, computers and other electronic devices that have been left on at night. Through behavioural change, staff begins to turn off electrical equipment before leaving at the end of each work day. Energy audits can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of educational campaigns.

Through the ecoENERGY Efficiency for Buildings program, the OEE can provide you with the information and resources you need to become more energy-efficient. Key resources include capacity-building tools to promote awareness and a national energy benchmarking tool.

Sign up for one of the renowned Dollars to $ense Energy Management workshops in cities across Canada. An awareness program is a key component of a successful energy management plan – it can help identify cost-savings opportunities in places you may not have considered. The workshops will help

  • lower operating and production costs
  • improve your competitive position
  • reduce GHG emissions
  • increase operational efficiency
  • create a better work environment
  • build a strategic framework for energy management
  • make your organization a leader in energy efficiency

Customized workshops are available to meet your organization’s specific needs. They are offered on-site throughout the year. To learn how you can improve the energy efficiency of your organization, visit oee.nrcan.gc.ca/.

Saskatoon hotel goes green

The Confederation Inn in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has a small carbon footprint, thanks to the renewable energy and energy retrofits implemented by owner Brian Sawatzky. He has taken action to reduce energy costs and GHG emissions by installing solar panels and investing in energy-efficient lighting.

The solar panels help supply the hot water for the guest rooms, restaurant, beverage room and indoor pool. The system provides about half of the required energy and is expected to have a payback period of six years.

Energy efficiency measures

  • Solar energy. Forty solar panels heat the hotel’s water, resulting in savings of $7,000–$8,000 per year. Natural gas is used to heat the water on cloudy days.
  • High-efficiency lighting. Incandescent light bulbs in the rooms and hallways were replaced, at a cost of $700. The payback period was under a year. High-efficiency fluorescent lights were installed, with reflectors added to direct the light downwards. Light-emitting diode (LED) lights were installed in the hotel’s meeting room.
  • Low water consumption. Shower heads were replaced with low-flow fixtures. The hotel is switching to low-flow toilets.
  • Energy-efficient appliances. In the past, the restaurant used an energy-guzzling conveyor-belt toaster. This was replaced by pop-up toasters, which consume one tenth of the energy.

Lessons learned

Investing in energy retrofits such as LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances provides significant energy savings with swift payback periods.

Small and medium-sized organizations can play an important role in transforming the built environment, making the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable sources of energy such as solar power.

Most Canadian cities and towns receive enough sunshine to heat water and generate electricity using solar panels. View the PV potential and solar resource maps of Canada. These maps provide information about the intensity of sunlight available at a given location. As well, Ontario and Nova Scotia provide feed-in tariffs to encourage the generation of power from solar PV panels.

For more information about renewable energy technologies, visit CanmetENERGY at canmetenergy.nrcan.gc.ca/home.

National Bank contributes to environmental sustainability

National Bank in Lachine, Quebec
A branch of the National Bank in Lachine, Quebec has obtained the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification granted by the Canada Green Building Council.

A stroke of genius

For some time now, the National Bank has measured all of its GHG emissions on a voluntary basis as part of the Carbon Disclosure Project. With estimated emissions of more than 13 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2009, the National Bank is engaged in improving this figure. Since 2006, with the help of Energenia (an engineering consulting firm specializing in energy efficiency projects and training), the bank has invested more than $3.1 million in commissioning new buildings and recommissioning existing buildings. Energenia is responsible for the energy efficiency plan for all the branches, which aims to standardize the systems of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) and lighting in all their premises.

Significant challenges

The National Bank, the sixth largest bank in Canada, is Quebec’s leading banking institution and the bank of choice for small and medium-sized enterprises. It has more than 450 branches, in almost every province. Robert Patenaude, President of Energenia, says, “The greatest challenge was the multiplicity of small buildings with rudimentary systems for which there was no uniformity.” According to Patenaude, he had to make them as intelligent as the buildings downtown.

No more problems

To obtain the desired result – anticipated annual savings of $700,000 – Energenia had to standardize the specifications. In 2007, a competitive bid solicitation was made, which allowed the National Bank to find a unique supplier for all its branches. The supplier changed and centralized the HVAC and lighting systems, which can now be programmed and diagnosed remotely. They also comply with the bank’s standards and specifications. Energenia had ensured that the engineers responsible for the new buildings were aware of the bank’s standards and specifications.

The art of success

Thanks to its modifications, the National Bank has achieved savings of almost 30 percent in the average consumption of its offices. “It is huge,” says Patenaude. “Savings are definitely sizeable.” The National Bank has “significantly reduced its energy intensity and has generated sizeable savings, more importantly millions of kilowatt-hours in electricity, thousands of cubic metres of natural gas and litres of fuel oil. All of this represents a global decrease in CO2 emissions.” The project won the Integrated Management prize at the annual Association Québécoise pour la maîtrise de l’énergie (AQME) gala, held on February 1, 2012. Also, thanks to Energenia, the Lachine branch of the National Bank was awarded the Silver LEED-CI for its interior design.

Recently in the news

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada) has launched a new version of its Building Environmental Standards (BESt) program. BOMA BESt Version 2 is the latest update of its building certification program.

Version 2 includes revised assessments of four commercial building types: offices, open air retail plazas, shopping centres and light industrial buildings. The program includes updates to industry standards, expanded documentation and user-friendly features. Benchmarking energy and water consumption data have been updated to reflect industry performance.

Questionnaires have been expanded to incorporate questions on the use of existing building commissioning, site enhancement, energy-efficient practices and technologies, and sustainable commuting options. Transparent scoring allows participants to know how many points are available for each question.

BOMA BESt is Canada’s largest environmental assessment and certification program for existing buildings. It helps participants assess six key areas of environmental performance and management: energy, water, waste and site, emissions and effluents, indoor environment, and environmental management system. BOMA Canada manages the program, and 11 local BOMA Associations deliver it. For more information, visit BOMA Canada’s Web site: www.bomabest.com.

Calendar of events

The Calendar of Events for Buildings is updated monthly. It lists energy efficiency conferences and training opportunities across Canada, including dates and locations for the 2012 Dollars to $ense Energy Management workshops.

The following list highlights key events:

Let us know what you think

Heads Up Energy Efficiency is published by NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency and distributed monthly to 12 000 subscribers. Our goal is to deliver meaningful news and information about programs, services and events related to energy efficiency in commercial and institutional buildings – and to share the success stories of organizations that have benefited from positive change. Help us spread the word by sending this Web link to your colleagues, and consider subscribing to our sister publication that looks at energy efficiency in industrial facilities, Heads Up CIPEC.

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