Energy@Work’s January newsletter, featuring industry news and updates, is now available. Scroll down to view January’s newsletter articles. You can also stay connected by clicking the button below to subscribe to our monthly updates.
Commercial Buildings Account for a Large Portion of GHG Emissions- Your Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) Provides an Effective Operational Response
The Government of Canada solidified its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 through the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, which became law on June 29, 2021.
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/net-zero-emissions-2050.html
The Climate Risk Institute held a Low Carbon webinar outlining the impact of commercial buildings on GHG emissions. The building sector, identified as the third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, contributes to 13% of Canada's total emissions. This figure increases to 18% when considering electricity generation and the additional emissions embedded in building materials and construction supply chains.
For more information, visit the Natural Resources Canada discussion paper here
The appropriate response is to prioritize decarbonization, fostering a low-carbon culture that underscores the construction of net-zero and climate-resilient buildings, alongside the retrofitting of existing building stock.
Energy@Work’s Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) targets economic opportunities through operational and sustainable savings. Every commercial building should have a supported E-MAP with specific utility reduction targets.
Energy@Work’s E-MAP experience spans over 30 years. In reviewing results across sectors, we realized that success comes down to the integration of: People, Process and Products. As a recent example, E-MAP clients saved over the $3.2 Million dollars over 3 years, largely through operational improvements and without compromising safety, tenant comfort or equipment reliability.
Deadline to Register for BOMA's Certificate of Excellence Awards: February 15th, 2024
Planning to recognize your team's dedication to excellence? Don't forget, the deadline for BOMA Certificate of Excellence (COE) registration is February 15.
A Certificate of Excellence is granted to properties that have their BOMA BEST Certification and have achieved a minimum COE score of 70%. Criteria is based on the following categories:
Following your registration, the award submission deadline is March 11, 2024 @ 4PM
The property in each category with the highest COE score is honored as a Local TOBY (The Outstanding Building of the Year) winner. These local winners are then eligible to compete nationally, with the possibility to advance to the International Competition.
Click here for more information on the BOMA Certificate of Excellence Awards
Stay Tuned for the 6th Annual Energy@Work 2023-24 Holiday Challenge Results!
A big thank you to participating buildings in the 2023/24 Energy@Work Holiday Challenge! You have demonstrated your commitment to friendly competition and energy efficiency!
The 6th edition of the challenge took place from Friday, December 22nd, 2023, to Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 and yielded an average 11% savings!
We are analyzing this year's results and we're excited to announce the winner in next month's News and Views- stay tuned!
Questions can be directed to: HolidayChallenge@energy-efficiency.com
Europe is Forcing out False Narratives: New Criteria Will Help to Stop Greenwashing- Can Canada Follow Suit?
In a resounding 593-21 vote, the EU Parliament recently approved the green claims directive, marking a significant step towards fostering transparency and authenticity in the realm of sustainable products.
The directive addresses more accurate and reliable advertising. Product labelling, including sustainability labels, will be required to be clearer and more trustworthy. A focus will also be made on durability. Making producers and consumers focus more on the durability of goods.
“The new rules will also ban unfounded durability claims (for example saying that a washing machine will last for 5,000 washing cycles if this is not true under normal conditions), prompts to replace consumables earlier than strictly necessary (often the case with printer ink, for example), and presenting goods as repairable when they are not.”
Click here for more detailed information on these changes and the green claims directive.
The increasing emphasis on achieving net zero has significantly heightened awareness of the necessity for transparent and precise emission data reporting. With the rise of greenwashing practices, we hope to see these sustainability initiatives and regulatory mandates become universally accepted standards worldwide.
We believe that Canada should take a hard look and consider the same- fake news isn't helping anyone!
December's Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM)e Cost: $0.69 Billion
In December 2023, GA cost was $0.68 billion. This is a 4% increase from November 2023 GA ($0.66 billion) and a 8% decrease comparing December 2023 with October 2023 GA (it was $0.75 billion).
If we compare December 2023 with December 2022, there was a 85% increase (it was $0.370 billion).
Energy@Work’s services include a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for Class A and Class B in order to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million, and we look forward to continuing to assist.
Monthly Feature: Mark Your Calendars For the February 8th: BOMA Earth Hour Weekend Challenge Webinar!
Join Energy@Work at BOMA's Earth Hour Weekend Challenge Webinar!
The free webinar, taking place February 8th from 9-10:00AM, will outline what to expect at this year's challenge and provide advice on how best to compete!
This year's webinar will feature guest appearances from:
Ryan Ounjian, Dream Unlimited
Jeri McKelvie, Menkes Property Management
The Earth Hour Weekend Challenge engages properties to reduce energy waste over a full weekend and recognizes the greatest reduction at BOMA Toronto’s annual Celebration of Excellence Gala.
Please Join Us In Welcoming the Newest Member of the Energy@Work Family- Liam Kamandlooie!
Congratulations to our Technical Director, Amir Kamandlooie, and his family, on the birth of his son, Liam! We're wishing Amir plenty of rest as he enjoys his first couple of weeks with his family's latest addition!
May Newsletter: News and Views
Through the IESO, Energy@Work has been approved as an Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) provider! We are excited to be able to implement projects through the 2023 EBCx incentive program, expected in June 2023.
Why?
EBCx offers clients an opportunity to achieve utility savings through a proven process which, NRCan suggests, can result in savings between 8 to 15%
The EBCx program is unique by offering upfront funding as well as
incentive to reduce electricity use, and
an incentive to sustain savings
EBCx uses NRCan’s 4-Phase approach that goes beyond trial and error to uncover root cause issues
Interested in sustained savings to support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives?
Get in touch with us through Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com or
learn more from our web site www.Energy-Efficiency.com
Energy@Work is committed to helping operationalize ESG through proven programs that yield results that can be Measured and Verified (M&V) to Efficiency Valuation Organization’s (EVO) IPMVP.
Information on the EBCx program is available from the IESO website:
https://saveonenergy.ca/For-Business-and-Industry/Programs-and-incentives/Existing-Building-Commissioning-Program
Energy@Work presented at the BOMA Toronto Global Adjustment (GA) workshop on April 28th. The workshop outlined the intricacies of the GA and the importance in making the right decision on June 15th as well as the second decision on June 16th.
The June 15th GA decision is for Ontario electricity customers that have an average monthly demand over 1,000 kW to determine their GA rate structure for the upcoming year, i.e., Decision #1!
The next decision is to decide what strategy is needed to maximize saving, i.e., Decision #2.
June 15th has 2 Options:
To be billed as Class A, based on the building’s Peak Demand Factor (pdf)
To be billed as Class B, based on fixed monthly $/kWh rate
The workshop recording is available online if you missed it:
The decision is not automatic and should be thought out carefully. It is essential to notify your local distribution company of your decision on June 15th if you want to be billed Class A.
The best option depends on:
i) historical consumption and demand profiles, as well as
ii) predicted electricity use
The right choice can be the difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Contact Energy@Work to Help with Your June 15th Decision and Strategy for the Year!
The IETC conference, held this year in Houston, Texas, is a great opportunity for industries leaders to meet and connect with each other.
Topics include innovative technologies, smart manufacturing, corporate energy management, energy monitoring and analysis. Case studies are shared for successful, real-world efficiency projects. Energy@Work has been a program advisor for over 10 years and speaks highly of the program and the speakers, who share their real-world experience.
Energy@Work’s Scott Rouse will present on two important topics:
1. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
The importance of operationalizing ESG through Energy Efficiency, as well as avoiding Greenwashing accusations through proper Measurement and Verification, such as Efficiency Valuation Organization’s (EVO) IPMVP.
2. Lesson Learned from a successful Treasure Hunt
Energy@Work arranged a treasure hunt to identify energy efficiency measures. Facility staff were engaged in reviewing their operations after analyzing utility use with suggested best practices. The result was the identification of savings valued at $170,000, largely through operational activities. Funding was also arranged.
The IETC is a great conference for energy managers and registration is open- we’d love to see you there:
Awareness surrounding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has grown exponentially in the last several years. Now a new obstacle stands in the way of developing an ESG strategy- anti-ESG backlash.
In early May, Florida’s governor, Ron De Santis, signed a bill that bans the investment of state funds into ESG. ESG bonds are also banned. De Santis claims the focus should be on maximizing returns rather than a focus on climate change and corporate diversity, ignoring the correlation between ESG and capital investment success. Ratings agencies expressed worry for the future, as weather and climate risks can no longer be accounted for- especially prevalent in Floridian areas that are hurricane-prone.
In light of this disheartening report, Energy@Work spoke with Sara Keyes, CEO of ESG Global Advisors, to get her take:
”Institutional investors are focused on policy – not politics. Companies need to pay attention to their current and prospective investors’ requests for ESG information as they believe it impacts their long-term risk-adjusted portfolio returns. The reason long-term investors, such as pensions, are focused on ESG risks and opportunities is to maximize risk-adjusted returns – therefore the rhetoric that ESG investing is ‘woke capitalism’ simply does not hold when you look under the hood of these investment strategies.”
When done properly, meaning with verifiable results disclosed, an ESG strategy has proven to have an excellent return on investment, as was highlighted in MarketWatch’s December article:
“Infosys research found that a 10-percentage-point increase in ESG spending correlated to a 1-percentage-point increase in profit growth. This occurred relatively quickly: 41% of respondents surveyed said they experienced a return on their ESG investment within a two- to three-year window.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/climate-change-and-diversity-efforts-are-profitable-report-says-heres-how-much-11670616651
Under the Reporting of Energy Consumption and Water Use regulation, buildings over 50,000 SqFt are required, by law, to report. Report your building’s annual energy and water use to comply with O.Reg 506/18. More importantly, EWRB offers the benefits from benchmarking and knowing your consumption.
Energy and water is a significant and controllable operating cost. Reporting provides an opportunity to identify opportunities for energy efficiency, track usage and compare how your building stacks up to similar buildings.
Contact Energy@Work to assist with your 2023 EWRB reporting!
In April 2023, GA cost was $0.87 billion. This is a 6% increase from March 2023 GA ($0.830 billion) and a 6% increase comparing April 2023 with February 2023 GA ($0.825 billion).
If we compare April 2023 with April 2022, there was a 20% increase.
If we compare March 2023 ($0.830 billion) with March 2022 ($0.616 billion) a 35% increase!
With drastic GA cost changes monthly, Energy@Work continues to ask “why?”. We provide a monthly review of GAM costs however the reason for the vast cost fluctuation remains unclear.
Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for Class A and Class B to win the (GAM)e.
Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million, and we look forward to continuing to assist.
BOMA Toronto’s annual COE Gala took place on May 25th, 2023. The gala recognizes industry leaders and properties that achieved BOMA BEST certification.
Awards were given to those that demonstrated excellence in the following categories:
Earth Hour Weekend Challenge Awards
Earth Awards
Pinnacle Awards
Certificates of Excellence
TOBY Awards
We would like to make special mention to:
Congratulations to all winners! Recognition for your efforts is well deserved!
Top Safety Tips for bicyclists and motorists:
Never ride or drive distracted.
Always expect the unexpected.
Always wear a bicycle helmet when on a bicycle and a seat belt when in a vehicle.
Know the Rules of the Road - A bicyclist is considered a vehicle on the road with all the rights and responsibilities of motorized traffic.
Share the Road - Both motorist and bicyclist should look out for each other and show mutual respect.
+ Lock up your bike!
As a 2-time winner of the Toronto Bicycle Friendly Business award, we are passionate about cycling- and safety is always #1!
April Newsletter: News and Views
BOMA 4.0 has officially launched!
The new certification portal brings with it many changes. The most fundamental is the introduction of 2 portal streams: BOMA BEST Sustainable and BOMA BEST Smart.
The Sustainable Stream “A practical approach to making building operations more sustainable.”
The sustainable stream has more similarities with BOMA BEST 3.0. The aim is to provide a framework and road map to support environmental performance, management, decarbonization, retrofits, engagement, and equity.
The Smart Stream “Using technology to optimize the building experience.”
The smart stream is a new addition to allow technological innovation to play a key role. The aim of the smart stream is to allow digital advancements and transformation that enables automated analytics and sharing information between systems, supported by technology.
For more information, the BOMA BEST 4.0 portal has been fully launched and provides many resources to become familiar with the new changes.
https://bomabesthub.com/Login
What does this mean for existing BOMA BEST applications?
Buildings registered prior to March 31st, 2023, can continue with their BOMA BEST 3.0 portfolio. These verification requests must be submitted by September 30th, 2023.
Energy@Work is looking forward to exploring version 4.0 and the practical changes that align with carbon reduction goals and promote more engagement within the building.
The 10th annual Earth Hour Challenge has wrapped up and the results are coming in!
239 participants took on the challenge of reducing their properties energy use over the Earth Hour weekend. The participants achieved amazing results with an average reduction of 10%!
Energy@Work has acted as advisors since the challenge’s inception in 2013. It aligns with the “People” of our 3 P’s philosophy- People, Process and Products. The challenge brings management, operations, and occupants together to optimize building efficiency!
The Earth Hour Weekend Challenge is a great opportunity to review building operations and discover opportunities to reduce year-round!
Energy@Work is reviewing the challenge results with BOMA Toronto!
We are looking forward to celebrating with the winners at the BOMA Toronto’s Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala on May 25th!
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has announced that the new Time of Use (TOU) and the Change in the Tiered threshold for residential customers under the OEB’s Regulated Price Plan will take effect on May 1st, 2023. The electricity prices for both remain unchanged and these prices will be in effect until October 31st, 2023.
Also arriving May 1st is the Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) price plan for RESIDENTIAL customers only.
This plan involves 4 price periods, the overnight period being “Ultra-Low” cost. Utilities (that are ready to do so) can begin offering their residential and small business customers the ULO price plan. By November 1, 2023, ULO price plan options will be a requirement from all utilities.
“Just like TOU pricing, with ULO, the price depends on when customers use electricity. This means customers can help manage their electricity costs by shifting their usage to lower price periods when possible.”
https://www.oeb.ca/newsroom/2023/summer-hours-and-new-price-plan-coming-may-1
Report your building’s annual energy and water use to comply with O.Reg 506/18. Under the Reporting of Energy Consumption and Water Use regulation, buildings over 50,000 SqFt are required to report.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/report-energy-water-use-large-buildings#section-3
Energy and water make up some of the largest operating costs in a building. Reporting provides an opportunity to identify opportunities for energy efficiency, track usage and compare how your building stacks up to similar buildings.
Energy@Work has submitted close to 700 submissions and as a Licensed professional, also provide additional information and support.
Contact Energy@Work to assist with your 2023 EWRB reporting!
Toronto Hydro wants to know what you think.
Click the button below to access the survey, enter your Toronto Hydro Account Number and complete the survey for a chance to win free electricity for a year!
10 submissions will be selected as winners!
RED columns represent summer months (June, July, August and September)
BLUE is shoulder and winter months.
In March 2023, GA cost was $0.830 billion. This is a 1% increase from February 2023 GA ($0.825 billion) and a 43% increase comparing March 2023 with January 2023 GA ($0.579 billion).
If we compare March 2023 ($0.830 billion) with March 2022 ($0.616 billion) a 35% increase!
With drastic cost changes monthly, Energy@Work continues to ask “why?”. We provide a monthly review of GAM costs however the reason for the vast cost fluctuation remains unclear.
Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for Class A and Class B to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million, and we look forward to continuing to assist.
Click the image below to watch our quick video that explains EWRB:
Join us at BOMA’s 2023 Global Adjustment workshop on April 28th to learn what factors should affect your June 15th GAM decision to become a Class A or Class B building and how to proceed following your decision.
