Heads Up Energy Efficiency Newsletter - December 2011

December 2011

Canadian sustainable energy pioneers win Probyn Prize

On November 16, 2011, Robert McLeese and his late father Willis McLeese were awarded the Stephen Probyn Prize for their significant achievements in the clean energy business and for their work that has had a positive impact on climate change and sustainable development. The award was presented at the Association of Power Producers of Ontario’s (APPrO’s) annual conference in Toronto, Ontario.

Dave Butters, President of APPrO, and Rob McLeese, President of Access Capital and winner of the 2011 Probyn Prize
Dave Butters, President of APPrO, and Rob McLeese, President of Access Capital and winner of the 2011 Probyn Prize

The Probyn Prize commemorates the leadership of the late Stephen Probyn, who was one of the originators of Canada's green energy industry, a leading financier in the sector and one of the world's foremost authorities on renewable energy development. The prize is presented periodically to a deserving individual or organization for significant advances and achievements in financial markets, public policy or science and technology that promotes action on climate change and sustainable development.

APPrO is a non-profit organization representing more than 100 companies involved in the generation of electricity in Ontario, including generators, suppliers of services, equipment and consulting services.

"For decades, Robert McLeese and his father have continued to innovate and take unprecedented steps to ensure that renewable energy projects got off the ground," says David Butters, President of APPrO. "The McLeeses are among a handful of individuals who created the framework that allows us today to produce renewable energy so effectively."

The father-and-son team began developing a portfolio of sustainable energy projects in the 1980s and broke into the Canadian market in the 1990s, providing many small and medium-sized companies with the funding and development support needed to invest in environmental projects. Their leadership has allowed for significant advances in the sustainable energy sector. By providing counsel and financial support, they have helped implement countless power projects across Canada and the United States, including the following:

  • White River (White River, Ontario): Financial adviser to the project, now in the final stages of construction planning and fundraising, for two hydro projects that will produce 95 000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy annually;
  • United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising (UCCMM) First Nations (Manitoulin Island, Ontario): Adviser to the UCCMM on the development and financing of its portion of a 60-MW wind farm project;
  • Potter Station Power (Timmins, Ontario): As financial adviser, assisted with the development and financing of a 6-MW waste heat recovery project that evolved into a 42-MW waste heat recovery and gas-fired project.

For more information, read APPrO’s press release.

Infrared imaging valuable for commissioning and recommissioning buildings

Commissioning and recommissioning are key components of the building optimization process. Commissioning includes an intensive quality assurance process that begins during the concept phase of a new building and continues through the design, construction, start-up, occupancy and first year of operation phases of the building life cycle. Often overlooked, recommissioning is an invaluable step that ensures that an existing building operates efficiently and effectively. Recommissioning results in lowered energy and maintenance costs, increased occupant comfort and productivity, and enhanced property values.

In both commissioning and recommissioning, infrared thermal imaging can be used to help detect excessive heat loss and air leaks, moisture, ice damage, weaknesses in façade materials and structural assemblies, and electrical and mechanical system defects. Engineers and architects use this technology to discover anomalies affecting the structural integrity and thermal performance of building envelopes, as well as electrical and mechanical system performance.

While infrared thermal imaging is used to identify problem areas within existing buildings, experts say it is also valuable during the construction phase, when deficiencies can be corrected with little inconvenience.

The article Commissioning of Exterior Building Envelopes of Large Buildings for Resultant Moisture Accumulation Using Infrared Thermography and Other Diagnostic Tools stresses the important role played by a thermographer, the expert who operates an infrared camera. A thermographer is skilled in obtaining the best possible images to diagnose potential problems. Interpreting these thermal images is integral to accurately assessing opportunities for saving energy. The thermographer conducts a thorough assessment of the building, based on a solid understanding of building science principles and the dynamic forces that act on the building envelope.

Infrared cameras record images that depict minute differences in temperature. Because different procedures can create variations in the thermal imagery, the thermographer must follow standard inspection procedures to develop an accurate assessment.

A recent article entitled “ Testing Building Envelope Systems Using Infrared Thermal Imaging” details some of the intricacies involved with acquiring and assessing thermal images. For example, it discusses the different temperatures and times of day that are the best for capturing images that depict insulation performance, air leaks, moisture detection, electrical and HVAC system performance, and structural anomalies.

For more information on other tools and techniques that can help optimize your building’s structures and systems, visit Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency’s Commissioning and Recommissioning Buildings page.

Brookfield Office Properties shines in landlord/tenant collaboration

This is an update to an article that originally appeared in the July 2011 Heads Up Energy Efficiency entitled “Toronto building competition fuels energy efficiency.”

Race to Reduce

Launched in May 2011, Greening Greater Toronto’s Race to Reduce is a unique program that represents unprecedented collaboration between office building landlords and tenants to promote smarter energy use. It encourages behavioural and operational energy reduction measures through collaboration among landlords, tenants and employees. The race challenges landlords and tenants from the Toronto region to publicly commit to work together to reduce energy in their buildings and to reduce the total energy use in participating buildings by at least 10 percent over four years.

Brookfield Office Properties, a founding participating landlord in Race to Reduce, recently shared the business case for energy reduction projects with tenants from First Canadian Place, Exchange Tower and Lombard Place as it kicked off a campaign to sign up tenants for the Race to Reduce "smart energy" office challenge.

Brookfield Office Properties is committed to the continuous improvement of the energy performance and sustainability profile of its Canadian office portfolio, both in new developments and within existing buildings. The company will save close to 20 percent annually in energy use and $1.8 million annually in energy costs at First Canadian Place, thanks to capital, commissioning and energy management actions it has taken in the past year. Through its comprehensive environmental program - Sustainable Strategies for a Greener Tomorrow™ - the company continues to expand and enhance the features, systems and programs at each of its properties that foster energy and water efficiency and reduce landfill waste.

"These energy reduction measures are translating into significant savings for us and our tenants," says Brian West, Vice President and Regional General Manager at Brookfield Office Properties.

Mike Wills, Director, Facilities Management at BMO Financial Group, an anchor tenant at First Canadian Place and a Race to Reduce participant, cited the impact that energy reduction measures can have with a retrofit of mercury lights and fixtures. By replacing existing fixtures with electronic ballasts, eliminating mercury bulbs and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) ballasts, BMO has realized an annual savings of more than 400 000 kilowatt hours of energy.

Total office space inventory in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is estimated at 15 million square metres (165 million square feet [sq. ft.]) in more than 1750 office buildings. These buildings account for more than 20 percent of the carbon emissions in the GTA and consume 37 percent of the electricity and 17 percent of the natural gas.

On average, tenant use of office space can represent 25 to 50 percent of a building's total energy use. Both landlords and tenants have a role to play in energy reduction. By increasing the energy efficiency or reducing energy use, office building landlords and tenants can reduce operating costs, be more competitive and improve the region's environment.

The Race has clearly struck a chord; the number of participants has doubled since it launched in May 2011. More than 350 major landlords and tenants have now registered 99 buildings representing almost 50 million sq. ft., or 25 percent of the GTA's office space.

To view additional examples of successful landlord/tenant collaboration, visit the Race to Reduce Media Kit page.

For more information on the energy efficiency initiatives of Brookfield Office Properties, visit its Sustainability page.

Energy efficiency pays in New Brunswick

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency works with commercial businesses and institutions and other stakeholders, including utilities and provincial governments, across Canada to promote energy efficiency. We are pleased to present several case studies that illustrate the successful implementation of energy efficiency measures throughout New Brunswick.

Atelier R.A.D.O. inc. – a commercial retrofit Energy Smart Program winner

Atelier R.A.D.O. inc., founded in 1983, is an Edmundston-based, non-profit organization serving the greater Madawaska region with a food bank, a soup kitchen, a clothing depot and emergency services for people living on or below the poverty line. The rising costs of energy and food, coupled with an increasing demand for services, lead to the development of a committee dedicated to reducing the organization’s operating costs.

Atelier R.A.D.O.

Four years ago, the committee decided to find a new location, looking for a newer, larger and more accessible building to accommodate its older and growing client base. After Atelier R.A.D.O. moved, the committee decided to assess the energy performance of the newly acquired building. It aimed to target retrofits for energy efficiency in order to cut operating costs and free up funds for services and programs.

The whole community rallied to support Atelier R.A.D.O.'s retrofits for energy efficiency, a testament to the organization's impact on and value to the region it serves. When the work began, an incredible outpouring of support from the community ensued. "I had individuals coming in twice a week, with offers to help out with their time or financial donations," says Stéphane Bourgoin, General Director of Atelier R.A.D.O. "It was like something out of a movie."

Atelier R.A.D.O. decided to install a geothermal heat pump and a domestic hot water heating system. It also decided to install a new roof with insulation, an air exchanger, and new windows and doors. Finally, it upgraded the building's lighting.

Bourgoin says that he is more than happy about the decision to install a geothermal heat pump. Atelier R.A.D.O. now pays two thirds of the amount of previous power bills, for a space that is three times as big and more comfortable.

"We weren't freezing this winter, even though it was a really cold winter, and in the summer, it will be cool, thanks to the natural cooling of the geothermal pump," says Bourgoin, who has heard positive feedback from many clients about the building's comfort.

"And with geothermal, we aren't subjected to fluctuating costs of energy; we aren't stuck wondering about oil prices and the cost of heating," he adds.

Atelier R.A.D.O. received funds from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and incentives from Efficiency NB through its Energy Smart Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program. "We also got incredible support from the staff at Efficiency NB," says Bourgoin. "They were great at explaining how things needed to be done."

All this support has created a comfortable and accessible building for the non-profit organization and its clients. "Our programs are designed to reduce the likelihood of a person becoming homeless - studies show that if you can eat well, you are less likely to end up on the streets," says Bourgoin. And with an estimated $10,487 of energy savings each year, Atelier R.A.D.O. is in a better position to fund programs and meet its clients' needs.

New energy-efficient home for the Saint John Transit Operations Centre

The Saint John Transit Commission was created in 1979 to operate scheduled transit service within the city of Saint John. It is the largest public transit system in New Brunswick, covering about 350 kilometres of city streets and carrying close to 3 million passengers per year.

For many years, Saint John Transit's home was an old warehouse-type building that was poorly located from a logistics point of view, on the city's west side. The City received an offer from a shopping centre developer to buy the land where the transit building stood, and things started to look promising for a better facility and location.

Saint John Transit Operations Centre

Work on the new Operations Centre began in 2007 with building design, followed by site work that started in 2008. From the beginning, the Commission chair, Chris Titus, and the General Manager, Frank McCarey, were focused on building an energy-efficient building. Ultimately, the project pursued a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver designation. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in such areas as energy savings, water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. The Commission is awaiting the results of its LEED silver application.

The Centre includes office space, garage facilities for approximately 70 buses and an expanded maintenance area. It has many energy-efficient features, including a highly efficient heating system that incorporates technologies such as heat recovery on exhaust air, in-floor radiant heating and two high-efficiency condensing boilers.

With its energy-efficient building envelope and efficient systems, the Centre has benefitted from considerable energy savings for heating and cooling. There is natural daylight and low-wattage lighting throughout and a widespread use of occupancy sensors, which ensure that lights are on only when necessary. The Centre also has a solar wall that uses renewable energy from the sun to pre-heat the fresh air entering the building.

The Commission received support through Efficiency NB’s Start Smart program for new commercial construction. The program provides incentives to help offset the cost of designing and modelling energy-efficient buildings. With its efficient design and construction, the Operations Centre is expected to consume 50 percent less energy than a comparable building constructed to the minimum standards of the 1997 Model National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings. Energy efficiency measures will also lead to energy savings of 45 percent compared with the MNECB reference building.

The Commission won the Premier’s Award for Energy Efficiency in May 2011. Efficiency NB chose the Saint John Transit Operations Centre for an award because it had the highest energy simulation score among new commercial buildings completing the program in 2010.

City of Saint John - an energy efficiency leader

The City of Saint John's energy program is making great gains in improving efficiency in municipal buildings and lowering the City's greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy efficiency efforts have been widespread across all city operations, including retrofits to municipal buildings, fire stations and recreational facilities; lighting upgrades for street lights and parking lots; and upgrades to wastewater operations. The City has also mandated energy efficiency standards for all new construction projects.

The City has been quietly but steadfastly leading the way in municipal energy efficiency efforts since 1997, when it adopted the Municipal Energy Efficiency Program (MEEP) as its environmental and fiscal code - the first municipality to do so in Canada. The MEEP supports the efforts of other citizens and environmentally focused organizations that are working with the same intent: to become even more environmentally responsible.

The MEEP received the 2008 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)-CH2M HILL Sustainable Community Award in Energy, while The City of Saint John’s Sustainable Energy Management Team received the Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s (CCNB’s) Milton F. Gregg Conservation Award in 2010.

“At the City of Saint John, we are committed to reaching the goals as outlined in our award-winning Municipal Energy Efficiency Program,” says Mayor Ivan Court. “We are committed to retrofitting our older municipal facilities and to building new ones to the highest standards.” By leveraging energy audits, incentives and energy plans through Efficiency NB’s Energy Smart program and its own MEEP procedures, the City has made drastic reductions in energy consumption and realized accelerated investment periods. The City’s adopted procedures resulted in annual savings of $1.24 million, reductions of 5792 tonnes of carbon dioxide and savings of 320 000 litres of fuel from 1996 to 2007 – reducing the City’s ecological footprint by 17 percent.

Thanks to monitoring and verification (M&V), the City has tracked energy savings and energy cost avoidance since the initial projects were put in place 10 years ago. Using M&V has resulted in sustained savings. Samir Yammine, the City's Energy Manager, credits it, along with staff education and training, as crucial to the City's success.

"It is vital to make energy visible and to monitor it," Yammine says. "That shows you how the building is performing, and in energy management, that is critical.

"Departments understand their role in sustainability. They are eager to continue working together and are committed to implementing new sustainable initiatives." Among the municipality's new initiatives is the construction of the Saint John Transit Operations Centre.

The building was built to a LEED silver standard and was recognized by Efficiency NB with an award under the commercial new construction category for achieving the highest energy simulation score in 2010.

"Efficiency NB has been a great help in many areas, not just in financial incentives, but also in capacity building, as well as through constant support and promotion of energy efficiency in the whole province," says Yammine.

With numerous awards recognizing the City's strategies and results and future plans to examine renewable energy sources and heat recovery systems, the City of Saint John is expanding on and evolving its successful approach to energy management. "Our citizens want Saint John to lead the nation as an example of a sustainable community," says Mayor Court. "I believe the City of Saint John is setting the standard."

For additional resources on energy and energy efficiency in New Brunswick visit the following:

Efficiency NB

Efficiency NB offers advice and practical solutions to help New Brunswickers use energy more efficiently, make better energy choices, manage energy expenses and lessen the impact of energy use on the environment. To see other interesting ways that organizations in New Brunswick are saving energy and money, visit its Success Stories page.



New Brunswick

The Province of New Brunswick recently released The New Brunswick Energy Blueprint, which outlines a 10-year vision and a 3-year action plan for the energy sector.




Energy management retrofit incentives

Natural Resources Canada wants to provide you with as many tools as possible to maximize your organization’s energy efficiency. Following is a list of financial incentives available across Canada that may help you implement energy-saving retrofits. You can find additional information and incentives on its Financial Assistance for Commercial and Institutional Organizations page.

Keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive - other incentives may be available. Consult the organization listed to verify program and eligibility requirements.

Organization

Program

Amount

Efficiency NB

Energy Smart Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program
  • up to $3 000 toward an evaluation to determine the potential for energy efficiency upgrades and a maximum of $75 000 toward the energy-retrofitting project costs

Start Smart New Commercial Buildings Incentive Program
  • up to $60 000 to offset the costs associated with designing sustainable high-efficiency buildings

Prince Edward Island – Office of Energy Efficiency

Commercial Sector and Institutional Buildings Program for Energy Incentives
  • up to $3 000 toward an evaluation to determine the potential for energy efficiency upgrades in a commercial building and a maximum of $25 000 toward the energy-retrofitting project costs

Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation

Custom

  • up to 50 percent of the cost of a preliminary energy audit/scoping study to a maximum of $1 000;
  • up to 50 percent of eligible project costs to a maximum of $500 000; and
  • on-bill financing for up to two years

New Construction

Core Performance path

  • An incentive of $10.76 per square metre is available for completing the first two mandatory sections.
  • Additional incentives for implementing enhanced measures include $0.15 per kilowatt hour (kWh) of first-year electrical energy saved (to a maximum of $500 000 or 50 percent of eligible costs).

Whole Building path

  • Amounts are tailored to the requirements of each project, based on cost-effectiveness, the equipment involved and other factors. The maximum incentive for any project may be up to $500 000 or 50 percent of eligible costs for implementation.
  • Financial assistance may also be provided to assist in a feasibility study.

Hydro-Québec Buildings Program

Buildings Program –Commercial
  • up to $0.23/kWh for new buildings
  • up to $0.27/kWh for existing buildings

Buildings Program –Institutional

Incentives based on:

  • 10 percent efficiency gain – $0.10/kWh
  • 10–25 percent efficiency gain – $0.25/kWh
  • more than 25 percent efficiency gain – $0.55/kWh

Ontario - Ontario Power Authority -
All LDCs or Hydro Companies
province wide

Existing Buildings  saveONenergy RETROFIT PROGRAM

Lighting

  • the greater of either $400/kW of demand savings or $0.05/kWh of first-year electricity savings (to a maximum of 50 percent of project costs)

Non-lighting, including lighting controls

  • the greater of either $800/kW or $0.10/kWh of first-year electricity savings (to a maximum of 50 percent of project costs)

New Buildings HIGH PERFORMANCE NEW CONSTRUCTION

Prescriptive

  • Building owners will receive up to $250 for every kilowatt saved and up to $60 per appliance.

Custom

Building owners

  • up to 25 percent above Code: $250 for every verified kilowatt saved
  • between 25 and 50 percent above Code: $300 for every verified kilowatt saved
  • greater than 50 percent above Code: $400 for every verified kilowatt saved

Design decision-maker

  • greater than 25 percent above Code: $50 for every verified kilowatt saved
  • greater than 50 percent above Code: $100 for every verified kilowatt saved

Manitoba Hydro

Power Smart Commercial Programs

Incentives are available for a range of areas, including

BC Hydro

Product Incentive Program
  • provides financial incentives to businesses to replace old, inefficient technologies with new energy-efficient products
  • incentives vary depending on product

Power Smart Partner Program

Project implementation funding

  • funding for up to 75 percent of the incremental cost of lighting, mechanical, HVAC and other energy efficiency projects. The funding level is also based on a tiered approach, meaning projects that were previously too costly may now be eligible for richer incentives.

Continuous optimization

  • funding 100 percent of the cost for a recommissioning consultant to study your building and recommend energy efficiency improvements, provide training of the building operators and conduct follow-up coaching sessions
  • funding the installation of an energy management information system (EMIS)

Energy study

  • co-funding with the potential for 100 percent funding of the energy study

New Construction Program
  • up to 100 percent of an approved energy-modelling study cost
  • up to $1 000 for the creation of an efficient lighting design that exceeds applicable building code by 10 percent and saves at least 10 000 KWh per year
  • whole building design incentives ranging from $30 000 to $60 000 per 100 000 kWh saved
  • system design and energy-efficient lighting design may be eligible for its fix incentive rate of up to $30 000 per 100 000 kWh

Arctic Energy Alliance

Commercial Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program
  • a 25 percent rebate up to a maximum of $10 000 for the cost of implementing cost-effective energy conservation and efficiency measures for Northwest Territories businesses
  • Northwest Territories businesses can also benefit from free energy audits to identify retrofits with the highest energy and water savings potential

Recently in the news …

Climate change measures provide business opportunities

Many Canadian companies now sell products to deal with climate change issues, save money by cutting energy consumption or use their new-found environmental awareness as a marketing tool.

In a recent survey study done by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a survey of 108 large Canadian companies found

  • more than 50 percent sell at least some products or services that help reduce emissions
  • more than 85 percent have a program in place to reduce their emissions
  • about 75 percent are integrating climate change into their business strategies
  • about 85 percent have managers or board members who are responsible for climate change initiatives
  • only one third have dedicated budgets for energy efficiency or emissions reduction activities

To see the full report, visit CDP Canada 200 Report 2011 Realizing Opportunities from Effective Corporate Management of Climate Change.

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 Natural Resources Canada’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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