We would like to thank York Region for choosing Energy@Work to complete their 4 year contract, consisting of:
Energy Audits
On-going Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx)
The work involved was completed within budget, on time and approved by York Region’s respective departments.
Thank you to York Region for the opportunity to complete this work and we look forward to future opportunities.
The race2reduce program is a call for Climate Action through improved building performance, innovation and collaboration between building owners, managers and tenants.
Energy@Work Inc. is proud to stand amongst this year’s 2020 race2reduce CREST Award Recipients as the winner of the Tenant Collaborative Excellence category for under 500,000 sqft. We are thrilled to congratulate the following winners on their continuous efforts and dedication to energy conservation and climate action:
90 Sheppard Ave E achieved the Climate Leadership Award
4711 Yonge St achieved the Collaborative Excellence Award
365 Bloor St E achieved the Innovative Excellence Award
15 Toronto St achieved the Climate Leadership Award
As a member of our Energy Management Action Plan <E-MAP> community, we are seeking better means to keep you informed on Energy Management Industry Updates as well as new tools and resources, such as NRCan Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) screening tool that was recently released (item #4).
This is our first newsletter and we want to encourage your thoughts and comments.
In return for your feedback we will donate $15 PER response. This donation will go towards COVID relief efforts through Canada Good Food Access Fund. We are hoping to donate $1,500 and your feedback will help us reach our goal! Canada Good Food Access Fund is an organization that provides emergency relief during this time of national crisis to our most vulnerable neighbours, including children, single parents, Indigenous people, seniors, and those on disability supports.
The Ministry requested comments on CDM programs by August 22nd, 2020. The purpose of the comments were to assist the Ministry’s directive to the IESO on Ontario’s CDM programs. Energy@Work responded on behalf of many of our clients with case study examples and their impressive conservation results. To read Energy@Work’s response to the ministry, click here. Comments to the Ministry are to be made public but have not been released as of October 7th.
Our case studies reveal $1.7 Million in verified electricity savings that were achieved at a cost of only $0.5 Million. We encouraged submissions from our alliance network, BOMA Energy committee and our other trade association partners. Our hope was to obtain CDM programs that have a ‘customer’ perspective.
Meanwhile, on September 30th, 2020, the Ministry issued a directive to the IESO on a new CDM framework.
This new framework will start in January 2021 and cover the period from 2021-24:
The directive includes:
This translates to about $173 M per year or an estimated 1/3 of the current CDM investment. CDM cost is about 4% of the monthly Global Adjustment (GA) of $1.2 Billion/month (refer to item #2) or about $576 M/yr.
The obvious question becomes:
“What financial support can customers expect for conservation once the IESO administrative costs are removed?”
Details are not available. The directive requires the IESO to provide CDM program descriptions in early November for implementation in January 2021.
- we will keep you posted
Note:
For NEW projects under the current CDM program, the rules remain the same and very explicit:
A project should be submitted to the ieso as soon as possible
and MUST be approved by the IESO by December 2020
and MUST be completed by December 2021
The December 2020 deadline has exceptions for existing projects.
We remain in contact with the Ministry and the IESO and will continue to track updates
Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM) is unique to Ontario and appears as a cost on the electricity bill each month.
Note: sometimes, such as on the residential electricity bill, the GA cost is embedded into the rate and does not appear as an additional line item.
Commercial properties that have an average monthly demand of over 1,000 kW are eligible to billed under a system using their average demand based on 5 unique hours compared to the provincial demand at the same time. These properties can “opt-in” to be Class A or choose to be Class B annually on June 15th. All Ontario ratepayers must pay their GA portion of over $1 Billion per month and are players in the 'GAMe'.
According to the IESO, “Global Adjustment is the component that covers the cost of building new electricity infrastructure in the province, maintaining existing resources, as well as providing Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) programs.”
GA is an “extra” cost Ontario ratepayers must cover every month. GA first appeared as the ‘provincial benefit’ and a credit. However, this has changed significantly, and for the past nine months, GA has exceeded $ 1 Billion/month. Over 50% of the GA cost is due to Nuclear related costs, and only 4% is for Conservation and Demand Management (CDM).
August's GA cost was $1.115 Billion.
Energy@Work’s services includes a “GA coach”. We assist customers to evaluate their Class A eligibility and assess the predicted savings between Class A or Class B prior to the annual June 15th decision deadline. Collective savings are well over $5 Million. If you’d like to find out how to play the GAMe, we hold an annual workshop in May. You can also reach us via email below.
Our Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) is an evergreen, results-oriented approach to energy management. Most recently, there was over $1.7 Million in electricity savings across 18 properties and 10 property management companies (2017-19). Toronto Hydro verified these savings. Success was achieved by uniting People, Process and Products.
This Globe and Mail article shares our experience as well as others.
A specific case study was posted on this innovative new site, here. From the world map, click on Toronto and it is 3rd Case Study: Berkeley Castle. This case study shares Berkeley Castle’s success in achieving $176,939 cumulated cost savings!
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has invested significantly into the EBCx 4 Phase approach because it is effective in ensuring safety, tenant comfort, equipment reliability and energy optimization.
As founding Chair of the Canadian Energy Manager Network, we have worked with NRCan and the Office of Energy Efficiency over the past 20 years. This includes Energy Star Building Certifications, RETScreen, etc. Our latest collaboration was providing an update for the EBCx Pre-screening guide which was recently released – hot off the press!
This was a joint effort between Energy@Work and Technosim. It is available FREE along with a helpful guide that we suggested would help in explaining / using the EBCx Assessment Tool. These are together and can be downloaded directly off NRCan’s web site
We also have an earlier presentation that differentiates the benefits of an Energy Audit Vs Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx), please contact us to request a copy.
Enbridge offers attractive incentives to save M^3 of natural gas. We have had great support from Enbridge and encourage the use of DSM.
Look for next month’s issue and it might be you!
Future Newsletters will have a case study.
Your feedback and comments on these topics or interest in new information is very important to us and we look forward to hearing from you.
Don’t forget: Feedback on this (our first) newsletter will not only help us provide the information you want, it will also result in a $15 donation PER individual response to Canada Good Food Access Fund in support of COVID relief efforts- up to $1,500!
- Energy@Work Team
Click through our guide below, built in partnership with Downtown Yonge BIA, to discover the benefits of active transportation!
To receive a hard copy please contact: requests@energy-efficiency.com
Energy@Work is excited to share Berkeley Castle’s achievements in Energy-Efficiency through an innovative new website; Greenlight Project: www.GLProject.org
Berkeley Castle is a great example and inspiration for savings potential in Toronto. Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) was implemented in 2016 and has resulted in Berkeley Castle, a historic downtown building, achieving a verified cumulative savings of $176,939!
Greenlight Project has set out to collect case studies from around the world that have a payback period of under 5 years and display them on a world map to compare how different properties are achieving energy savings globally!
Take a look at Berkeley’s Case study on the Greenlight Project Here
Find out how we can help your building achieve its energy saving potential too!
Built in 1871, this downtown Toronto historic site, Berkeley Castle is a 148,614 square foot commercial office/retail asset housing 300 occupants. Having achieved NRCan 2019 and 2020 ENERGY STAR Building Certification, Berkeley Castle continues to strive for energy reductions and optimum operational performance.
In 2016, Berkeley Castle implemented our Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) as part of their long-term Energy Efficiency Initiative to optimize building operations and performance.
CLICK TIMELINE TO EXPAND
Real-Time Monitoring was installed in 2016 to allow Berkeley to: “Manage what we Measure”.
A new BAS was installed complete with third-party commissioning (Cx) in 2018.
The E-MAP tracks, manages and sustains reductions through the 3 Ps of:
People, Process, and Products:
People make decisions. Essential stakeholders (operations and management) must be present to ensure ongoing communications.
Process ensures a systematic and holistic approach is in place to manage use, track targets and sustain savings and reductions.
Products are vital to support the process and people converting information to knowledge to make informed decisions.
Energy@Work’s Letter to the Ministry:
“We welcome the Ministry’s commitment to develop a 2021-24 Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) Framework and your invitation to comment and provide insight through our CDM experience. We are open to a future discussion on these and other points as well.
CDM is the most cost effective means to achieve stability in Ontario’s electricity sector. CDM can also be the catalyst to Ontario’s economic recovery, environmental performance improvement and is also used to assist our own sustainability management plan. Providing, of course, that the CDM programs makes sense. This is tricky part; the devil is always in the details.
We would like to assist the Ministry’s efforts through our CDM experience as well as experience from other incentive programs. The following is our ‘detail’ response that will help remove the ‘devil’ that too often appears in CDM programs that have not considered customer experience.
1) Develop Customer-Centric CDM focused programs and not just an alternate option to Supply constraints
Customer-centric refers to programs that directly benefit the ratepayers that are paying for CDM.
2) Return energy audit funding that covers 50%.
Energy Audits are effective in helping us identify opportunities and build our Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP). Audit funding was cut last March 2019 when CDM was transferred to the ieso and is not appearing in the proposed framework.
3) Replace the current Energy Performance Program (EPP) with Toronto Hydro’s OPSaver program.
Detailed experience on both programs are available that demonstrate the superior benefits of the OPSaver program. OPSaver also provides the flexibility to allow the customer to choose what is in their best interest.
4) Allow the customer to assign the incentive to a 3rd party that will make the 3rd party responsible for the paper work.
Incentives are typically transferred to the project cost; however, the customer remains responsible for tracking down the paperwork. If the third party receives the incentive, they will ensure the disposal certificates and related paper work is completed and are in the best position to ensure submissions are completed. The incentive agreement can still be signed by the customer.
5) Instruct the ieso to stop hiring US companies to audit Ontario programs since they are not familiar with Ontario’s electricity market
The early CDM investment was intended to build Ontario capability and we have a wealth of young people that are searching for opportunities and are extremely well qualified but need the experience. Trying to explain GA and other Ontario programs to a US based consultant is a time waster.
6) Instruct the ieso to focus on programs that help customers reduce kWh Vs PR campaign
We have witnessed excessive advertising which can be better served by programs that return $$ to the property in exchange for kWh. Good programs with smooth delivery that drive results is always the best means of promotion.
7) Develop, in partnership with NRCan’s Existing Building Commission (EBCx), a COVID response
COVID is requiring buildings to review their Current Facility Requirements. The EBCx approach, when completed properly, offers a significant opportunity to improve. Working through NRCan becomes a cost effective and Canadian solution that address the root cause issues that often get overlooked. Additional information is available on NRCan EBCx experience and the new CSA EBCx standard is available.
On related subjects, these are 3 additional suggestions that would benefit Ontario- and at no cost!
i) Require the Global Adjustment (GA) Monthly Cost of over $1.2 Billion/month to be audited quarterly
– a mere 5% savings would more than cover Ontario’s total CDM investment! 5% improvement is a typical target of our programs (which we routinely achieve as a minimum) and can become the same for GA.
ii) Request value be derived from the EWRB process.
We ‘manage what we measure’ but have not seen value from this process.
iii) Allow Ontario companies to have the first option on surplus electricity, without the GA cost.
We understand how electricity is traded based on the Hourly Ontario Energy Price (HOEP). However, exported “Surplus” electricity is also traded the same way using HOEP, which does not include GA. This same electricity should be first offered to Ontario customers before it is delivered out of province but without the GA cost, which our US cousins receive.
(An auction can be set up and Ontario companies, such as energy storage and other large producers, can bid for this surplus electricity.)
Thank you in advance for the opportunity to contribute and looking forward to clear direction on CDM programs that work in supporting Ontario.”
To provide YOUR feedback click here
The Ontario Government revised the Global Adjustment(GA) Class A rules, June 26th, 2020:
For the Class A customer there will be a two part impact to this decision:
<There may be adjustments and we will stay on top of these and related issues>
Class A customers prior to 2020
Class A Customer’s peak demand factor (pdf) in 2020 will be frozen. They do not have to worry about reducing their peak hour during a provincial peak which would have determined their pdf for 2021 (under the old rules).
Therefore, if their existing pdf was low in 2020 – great. If it was high and they had hoped to lower it – ‘too bad for you’.
New Class A customer in 2020
New Class A customers, that want to reduce their pdf still can. They will need to reduce their hourly demand during one or more of the 5 provincial peaks to determine their pdf for the June 15th “Decision #1” deadline in 2021. The adjustment period is July 1st 2020 to June 30th 2021. This is the same rule as before.
These customers will have their new pdf for June 15th, 2021, “Decision #1” – Details to be confirmed.
By the time June 15th, 2021 comes around – expect additional changes. There have been plenty of discussions on the challenges of Class A/B.
Who will be impacted the most:
i) Firms that provide alerts for the peak hour
ii) Firms that provide solutions for Class A customers: battery storage, on site generation, etc.
iii) Companies that have invested in assets to reduce their hourly peak during a provincial peak hour
Who will be impacted indirectly:
Other rate payers make up for the savings achieved by Class A customer’s “GA Busting” tactics.
As far as relief to Ontario’s ratepayers:
It is unclear where the ‘relief’ will come from. Global Adjustment Monthly cost is still over $1B/month
Where ‘Relief’ can come from is two fold:
1) The province can provide a practical Conservation Demand Management (CDM) framework for 2021-26 that includes programs that have been proven to work, such as OPSaver and energy audits that include Natural Gas and Electricity, to help our economic recovery and environmental performance.
2) Audit the Global Adjustment monthly cost with an aggressive target of a 10% reduction that can be used to fund future CDM.
As we keep on top of this and other related issues, we will continue to review this during our monthly Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) meetings. Energy@Work has helped our clients achieve over $2M in savings and want to keep the momentum growing!
Click below to scroll through
On April 29, 2020, Energy@Work proposed a framework for condominiums to reach a 50% energy reduction target. This presentation was made to a panel of industry experts to obtain feedback in the form of a peer review. The feedback that was provided was instrumental in the development of the final framework and provided valuable insights into the people, process, and products that would make achieving the target possible.
Special thanks to Crossbridge Condominium Services, Sustainable Buildings Canada, and Technosim Inc. for their guidance and sharing their expertise.
Click below to scroll through
Energy@Work is pleased to publish Edward Newton's 2020 Humber College Capstone Project "Benchmarking 170 Condominiums in the Greater Toronto Area as per EWRB O. REG. 506/18". This report investigates how to effectively benchmark MURBs by analyzing factors that impact building energy consumption. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop effective benchmarking methods to help MURB stakeholders understand energy reduction opportunities and their economic impact and also act on these opportunities.
This research paper analyzes data that Energy@Work gathered from 170 condominiums in the Greater Toronto Area during the 2019 Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking process. We would like to thank Crossbridge Condominium Services for their support in gathering this data and their advocacy for benchmarking in Ontario. This work would not have been possible without their contributions.
