Elizabeth Rouse
August Newsletter: News and Views
Elizabeth Rouse
July Newsletter: News and Views
Elizabeth Rouse
June Newsletter: News and Views
Elizabeth Rouse
May Newsletter: News and Views
Elizabeth Rouse
April Newsletter: News and Views

April 2022 Newsletter: News and Views

For the 4th year, Energy@Work is collaborating with BOMA Toronto to help decode the mystery behind Ontario’s GAM. Every year, on June 15th, building owners with an average monthly demand over 1,000kW must decide whether their building will be Class A or Class B, this will determine how you pay your share of the GAM cost. Once a decision is reached, it’s time to develop a strategy for the year, beginning June 16th.

The June 15th decision can be complicated, however, if you do not submit your decision, your building will be placed in the default category. By implementing an effective strategy, your building may save tens of thousands of dollars annually.

March 2022 GA cost is $0.616 billion. This is a 17% increase from February 2022 GA ($0.528 billion). Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM costs and continues to ask “why?”

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance.

Score Card:
https://www.scorecard.efficiencycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ontario-1.pdf

With less support for Energy Efficiency, it is important to develop your own Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) and include a Global Adjustment strategy as the annual GA Decision approaches on June 15th, 2022.

At Energy@Work, we call GAM “Playing the GAMe”, because it has all the components:

Energy@Work’s services includes 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.

Join Energy@Work in celebrating all the COE award winners and participants at this year’s in-person gala at the Fairmont Royal York!
For nearly 20 years, the COE awards have recognized excellence in buildings, teams, individuals and companies in the following categories:

Building Categories include Historical Building, Industrial Office Building, Mixed-Use Building, Office Building, and Retail category.

Winners become eligible to win the coveted local, national, and international TOBY Awards!

Larissa is joining Energy@Work from Brazil (and we hope to experience her mastery of the famous Brazilian grill)!

Along with her positive attitude and team spirit, Larissa brings to the team a commitment to customer-centric solutions through her experience in strategic planning and data analysis.

We look forward to working with Larissa and supporting her growth in the Ontario energy management sector!

The BOMA Toronto Commercial Real Estate Trailblazers (CREST) Awards offer an opportunity to recognize the efforts of participants of the race2reduce (r2r) program who achieved top performance in the following categories:

  • Performance Leadership: Awarded for implemented measures that improve performance in each of the 4 subcategories, Electricity, Gas, Water, and Waste.

  • Innovative Excellence: Awards effective and creative strategies frameworks and technologies implemented to solve problems or achieve successes.

  • Collaborative Excellence: Recognizes the partnership between the landlord, tenant, and stakeholders to drive building performance.

  • Climate Champion: Demonstration of exceptional efforts to reduce emissions.

Awards in each category are available for Building Sizes:
1) < 100, 000 Sq. ft
2) 100,000 ≤ Sq. ft < 500,000 Sq. ft
3) ≥ 500,000

Energy@Work won the 2020 Collaborative Excellence Award and the 2021 Innovative Excellence Award and continues to help others earn recognition as well!

For full eligibility requirements and rules, visit https://boma-race2reduce.org/awards/ to access the full guidebook.

Submit your data by July 8th, 2022, to be eligible for one of this year’s coveted awards!

2021 marked the first year that Multi-family Residential Buildings were eligible for ENERGY STAR Building Certification. Through strategically implemented energy efficiency measures and a dedicated team, 2001 Bonnymede Drive achieved the only 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Certification score of 100- a perfect score!

A special mention to Arben Puka, Condo Manager, and the support of Regional Manager, Laurie Adams for their effort in this accomplishment.

To view the full case study, visit: https://www.energy-efficiency.com/news/case-study-2001-bonnymede-drive

Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you. Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work

March 2022 Newsletter: News and Views

Energy@Work served as Licensed Professional in supporting nearly 20% of all Commercial Offices in Ontario and 50% of the multi-family buildings in Canada with obtaining 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Certification, equivalent to over 5.9 million SqFt, across 8 property management companies.

Registry for ENERGY STAR certified buildings

2021 was the first year Multi-family buildings were eligible in Canada to obtain ENERGY STAR Building Certification. One property was an exceptional performer and achieved a perfect score of 100!

These achievements are credited to the collaborative efforts between the Operations and Management teams working together to optimize building performance ENERGY STAR standards.

A property must meet the strict standards enforced by NRCan and achieve a score of 75 or greater to obtain certification. Certification is awarded on an annual basis, and energy performance must be maintained to qualify for recertification.

Energy@Work’s expertise can help your building achieve 2022 ENERGY STAR Building Certification. NRCan has begun accepting 2022 Building Certification application. To learn more, contact: Requests@energy-efficiency.com

Achieving certification positions your property and team as industry leaders in the fight against climate change.

Performance Measurement and Verification Analyst (PMVA) and Performance Measurement and Verification Expert (PMVE) are the 2 new designations introduced by EVO in early 2022.

Both designations are achieved through a combination of training and industry experience and must be renewed to stay up to date with the industry to remain valid. Once accredited, the PMVA and PMVE demonstrate that those with the designations are applying EVOs standards and concepts for measurement and verification to energy efficiency projects.

Energy@Work’s managing partner has achieved the PMVA designation. We look forward to PMVE training sessions opening soon.

Latest development from EVO:

Last week, EVO hosted a webinar with 600 participants from the international Measurement and Verification (M&V) community. The purpose of the webinar was to provide an update on the Core Concepts of International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP):
https://evo-world.org/en/products-services-mainmenu-en/protocols/ipmvp

By creating a standard method of reporting measurement and verification, that allows for 3rd party verification, we can have the confidence that what is being reported is REAL and helps eliminate greenwash. Energy@Work used EVO’s guidelines, in conjunction with RETScreen software, to determine savings from 28 properties. As the method was standardized, we were able to get 3rd party verification from THES and the savings amounted to $3.2 million.

A standardized process is essential for the future of ESG reporting.

The 9th annual Beyond Earth Hour Challenge wrapped up this past weekend: March 25th - 28th. The final step for participants is to submit their building’s interval meter data ahead of the Friday, April 8th deadline at 4PM to: EarthHour@bomatoronto.org.
For more information on submitting your interval data, click here.

The winner of the “Top Reducer” award, will be announced at BOMA Toronto’s 2022 Celebration of Excellence Gala held in-person at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022. The winner will be featured in a published case study highlighting the property’s achievements as the 2022 Beyond Earth Hour Challenge Winner!

Good luck to all participants and stay tuned for this year’s exciting results!

The past couple of years have been some of the most unprecedented times in recent history. With so many sectors effected economically, what weight will energy efficiency hold?

Canada has made the commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This ambitious target must be supported by politicians with a focus on GHG reduction strategies. In a news release on March 30th, 2022, Canada’s commitment was outlined, “Delivering Clean Air and a Strong Economy for Canadians”. We believe a large factor in emission reduction is supporting companies in reducing their building’s carbon footprint.

The Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM) and Conservation and Demand Management Program (CDM) are both government directives and impacted by provincial priorities.

With the election less than 2 months away this is an exciting time for Ontario to reconsider priorities while entering our “new norm”. Have your voice heard by making an informed decision at the voting polls.

As Canadians, we all must work together and take real climate action to secure a better future.
June 2022 Election news release

February 2022 GA cost is $0.528 billion. This is a 5% increase from January 2022 GA. Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM costs and continues to ask “why?”

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance.

The role of an operator is instrumental to the success and smooth operations of any building! Dedicated individuals who work hard to understand and optimize their building’s systems are paramount in running an efficient, safe and healthy building, as recognized through the AEE Greater Toronto Area (AEEGTA) Wrench of the Year award.

Individuals that “best exemplify the spirit of hard work, hands-on responsibility, and determination that resulted in the successful implementation of an energy efficiency project.” are recognized annually.

We felt confident in nominating Ronnie Sookermany for the 2022 Wrench of the Year Award as a result of his dedication and ongoing efforts as building operator at 250 University Ave, managed by Northam Realty Advisors Ltd. Ronnie's contribution to 250 University Ave's Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) has helped optimize performance, meet best practices, and earned recognition through 2022 BOMA BEST Platinum Certification and 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Certification.

Congratulations to Ronnie as well as the management team: Neil Armstrong, Norman Olshansky and Eagen D'mello for their support of Ronnie’s role.

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you. Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work

February 2022 Newsletter: News and Views

Ready, Set, Reduce- Are You Prepared for the 2022 Beyond Earth Hour Challenge?

Friday, March 25th, 2022 @ 6:00 PM to
Monday, March 28th, 2022 @ 6:00 AM

For the 9th year, Energy@Work is collaborating as a Program Advisor to BOMA Toronto’s 2022 Beyond Earth Hour Challenge. The challenge, which is an expansion of Earth Hour, invites participants to compete for recognition as the “Top Reducer”! 

From March 25th 6:00PM – 28th 6:00AM, join us in tackling energy waste! The focus of the challenge is to enhance building performance through operational changes and eliminate “phantom power” through collaborative tenant and landlord efforts.
Check out our “Tips and Tricks” video for eliminating phantom power!


Challenge Registration is free and easy!

Visit https://www.bomavault.com/beyond-earth-hour for more resources, tips and tricks, or to watch Energy@Work’s Program Director, Lisa Liang present this year’s webinar that took place on Feb. 23rd.

The Importance of Monitoring: Identifying a $19,000 Credit

Tracking gas consumption in a large building requires the right people, process, and products in order to establish proper monitoring, and implement changes. Energy@Work’s Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) supports continual monitoring and includes monthly reviews of utilities as well as the development of a weather-corrected model. 

During a monthly meeting, a large Toronto building’s gas CUSUM was reviewed. We noticed that the building had an unusual spike in consumption in their March-April 2020 gas bill.

Energy@Work’s Edward Newton compared the billed m3 with the meter readings and noticed an overcharge:

“[The building] was issued an estimated bill with 86,417 m3  listed as the consumption. However, the meter readings shown on the bill do not show a change to reflect the billed amount. The following bill charged 156,060 m3 to the account. However, the meter reading labelled "Previous" is the same value as the meter reading labelled "Previous" on the bill from the month before. 
This means that they were charged for the same gas use twice and overcharged by 72,914 m3.” 


Energy@Work followed up with Enbridge who issued a credit to the account totaling $19,063 on their next bill.

Having a weather-corrected model is what alerted us to the issue. Since gas use fluctuates so much due to weather, it is difficult to notice anything is wrong by just looking at the billed amount.

Sharing Our M&V Experience at Seneca College

Thanks go out to Raghad Kamel for inviting Energy@Work to present during her class to the students at Seneca College. It was a great opportunity to welcome young professionals to the Energy Management industry and to share mechanisms to succeed!

We had the opportunity to share some best practices and to outline our approaches and successes using Measurement and Verification (M&V). We demonstrated the practical application of the recently released RETScreen Version 8.1 and shared real life examples of what Energy@Work’s clients achieved, even during the pandemic. RETScreen V8.1 is quickly becoming an essential energy management tool within the commercial sector.

Presentations of this nature are great for students hoping to enter the industry after graduating. With a full curriculum, practical application can be difficult to determine. We are appreciative of the opportunity to connect with the students of Seneca and encourage others to collaborate as well
- students are our future!

Join Us in Welcoming Our Newest Team Member: Munaf Awadia

As an Energy Analyst, Munaf will be identifying industry trends, developing improvement strategies, analyzing utility bills, and much more.

Munaf’s commitment to sustainability stemmed from his enrollment in the Mechanical Engineering Program at Tolani F.G. Polytechnic College at 15 years old! Munaf has gone on to complete the Seneca College Mechanical Engineering program and continues to explore innovative technology and solutions to energy management and monitoring.

Munaf will be a wonderful addition to the Energy@Work team!

January’s Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM)e Cost: 

January 2022 GA cost was $0.502 billion. This is a 19% decrease from December 2021 GA. If we compare the sum from January 2022 with January 2021, there has been a 43% decrease.
Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM costs and continues to ask “why?” and, this time, why did it drop almost in half?

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance

With less support for Energy Efficiency, it is important to develop your own Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) and include a Global Adjustment strategy.

Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for either Class A or Class B in order to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million, and we look forward to continuing to assist.

Score Card:
https://www.scorecard.efficiencycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ontario-1.pdf

Energy Efficiency continues to be our best option. Using less means building less infrastructure.. very basic math. 


What should you do?
With less Energy Efficiency support, it is important to be more self-sufficient. Develop your own Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) as well as a Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM) Strategy.

Featured Case Study:  

OEB to Investigate Options for Low Overnight Electricity Rates – About Time!

Minister of Energy, Todd Smith has initiated a review to determine options for low overnight electricity rates:
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001574/ontario-investigating-options-for-new-ultra-low-overnight-electricity-rate

Energy@Work is excited to see this kick off as we have been asking for this for well over 10 years:
iii) Allow Ontario ratepayers the ‘right of first refusal’ for surplus energy that is sold at a negative price out of province.

For those not familiar with Ontario’s Electricity Pricing, there are essentially two energy (kWh) charges:
1) Hourly Ontario Energy Price (HOEP)
and
2) Global Adjustment (GA)
Electricity traded outside of Ontario is based on the HOEP hourly rate per kWh, $/kWh. This hourly price is set on a 5-minute basis to provide a rate which the IESO coordinates with generators to match supply requirements. In the evening, when demand is low, electricity is traded to the US and other provinces at the HOEP without GA. However, if an Ontario ratepayer wants to purchase the same – the price includes GA.

Scott Rouse commented in a REMI network article earlier this month:

“The U.S. has had a sweetheart deal for years for the surplus power that is sold out-of-province at a negative price,” concurs Scott Rouse, managing partner with the consulting firm Energy@Work. “This could be an investment in energy efficiency that delivers cheaper electricity and sustained environmental improvements.”

https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/ontario-explores-overnight-electricity-discount/

GA has become the predominate cost on an electricity bill.

Why are Ontarians being charged the GA cost but those outside of Ontario are not?
It doesn’t make sense and we’re glad to see the review occur. We are hoping for a proactive approach that will implement changes before 2023.


Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!


We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you: Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Join the 2022 BOMA Toronto Beyond Earth Hour Challenge

BOMA Toronto Beyond Earth Hour Challenge Period: Friday, March 25th at 6:00PM - Monday, March 28th at 6:00AM

Expanding on the success of this BOMA Toronto initiative and last year's success, BOMA Toronto in collaboration with program advisor, Energy@Work Inc. and QMC Integrated Submetering Solutions, are pleased to open up this year’s 2022 Beyond Earth Hour Challenge. The 9th annual challenge focuses on targeting building performance and aims to encourage collective conservation efforts of landlords and tenants over the Earth Hour Weekend.

In the spirit of Earth Hour and energy conservation, participants will be able to compete for award recognition as the Top Reducer in the Building category with onus on landlords to find operational changes and collaborate with tenants to discover behavioural changes that affect energy use over the entire weekend as opposed to just the one hour.

Through collaborative efforts, our hope is that landlords will continue to partner with tenants to collectively realize energy-saving strategies that in turn drive down operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more about this year's challenge and official rules, visit the BOMA Beyond Earth Hour Challenge Resource Page

Take a look at our video for tips on reducing your energy use during the Earth Hour Challenge weekend!

Questions can be directed to Program Director, Lisa Liang

January's Newsletter: News and Views

What are we expecting to see?

#1: A safe and inviting welcome back to the office but with a new NORM

#2: ESG Explosion with a focus on climate solutions, GHG reduction and Energy Savings that can be Measured and Verified (M&V)!

#3: Partnerships that contribute to holistic solutions: Greater need to work together

ESG strategies are making efficiency opportunities even more important since they can be verified!
We are also witnessing these trends working together through an Energy Management Action Plan <E-MAP>. This will strengthen and reinforce the lifeline needed for a better future, without compromising safety, tenant comfort or equipment reliability.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), implemented with integrity, will decide and prove out: “Who Cares Wins”!

Our added hope is an end to ‘fake news’, false pledges and greenwashing. An honest ESG commitment removes excuses for doing anything less than what is right. Here are a few examples:

1) Verified Energy Efficiency Results:
Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) delivered $3.2 Million in verified electricity savings across 28 properties and 12 property management companies. Equally important is their continued investment to accomplish even more as well as expanding to include GHG reduction!

2) Private Investment:
Moody’s Warns: “Trillion Dollar Time Bomb” unless companies drop high carbon investments

3) Federal Government commitment:
3.1) Carbon tax was tested in the courts and upheld.
Carbon has a price of $50/Tonne and rising by $10/Tonne/yr, up to $170/Tonne
3.2) Justin Trudeau’s commitment: Spirit of ESG – including "Net Zero by 2050"

4) City of Toronto’s December 15th decision: Net Zero by 2040

5) Google “ESG Commitment”: 18.1 Million Hits in 0.48 seconds. ESG is mainstream

6) Mainstream entertainment: Netflix’s environmental series + their recent movie release: “Don’t look up”


Equally important are the help and supporting tools:

7) Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO):
Continually improving Measurement and Verification (M&V)

8) RETScreen:
Better tools to support M&V + Non-Routine Events and Adjustments

9) NRCan Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx)
Pre-screening Tool and Guide: 8 to 15% ‘Economic’ Savings

Working together, ESG can be the catalyst and success multiplier we need. Let's start by ensuring the RIGHT person has the RIGHT information at the RIGHT time to make the RIGHT decisions.

2022 is sure to be an exciting year! We are looking forward to working together and keeping in touch – keep safe, stay connected and we wish you success in achieving your ESG commitments!

Take a look at Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) highlights and resources for commercial office opportunities to identify and sustain energy savings and achieve your ESG commitments!

Energy@Work assisted NRCan with the development of the Existing Building Commissioning Pre-Screening Tool to help identify the most appropriate candidates for EBCx- as featured in BOMA Canada’s January Newsletter and on their LinkedIn.

NRCan has invested in the EBCx 4-Phase approach because it is effective in ensuring safety, tenant comfort, equipment reliability and energy optimization are achieved together and not a ‘trial and error’ exercise.

The trick to success is professional execution. EBCx is a complex process where optimizing performance requires integration of the right People, Process and Products.

Their 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Recertification score means that 15 Toronto is more energy efficient than 84 percent of similar properties nationwide!

This achievement adds to 15 Toronto’s success, after having won the:
2021 race2reduce Performance Leadership (Electricity) CREST Award AND the 2021 race2reduce Innovative Excellence CREST Award in its size category.

Congratulations to Madison Group: Gordon Smith, Victor Dang, Cesar Geronimo and the team at 15 Toronto- well deserved!

Take a look at 15 Toronto’s 2020 case study here!

Winter games begin February 4th until the 20th!

Cheer on our Canadian Athletes with a virtual meeting of the team members:
Team Canada Roster - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

Here is the official website for up to date announcements:
Beijing 2022 - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

Good luck Canada!

December GAM cost is $0.617 billion. This is a 20% increase from November’s GAM cost. Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM costs and continues to ask “why?” and, this time, why did it drop?

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM), at less than 3%, continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance in their annual score card:

What should you do?
With less Energy Efficiency support, it is important to be more self-sufficient. Develop your own Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) as well as a Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM) Strategy.

Energy@Work’s E-MAP service can include a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for either Class A or Class B to win the (GAM)e.
Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million, and we look forward to continuing to assist.

Energy@Work's 2021 Accomplishments: As we move into 2022, let’s take a look back at what made 2021 great!

Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you: Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work

Energy@Work's December Newsletter: News and Views

The Holiday Challenge presents an opportunity for Landlords and Tenants to increase awareness around wasted electricity and reduce kWh use during the holiday period.

This year’s 4th annual challenge will help raise awareness on, and mitigate, how much electricity is wasted over the holidays due to:

  • systems continuing to run when not needed,

  • lighting remaining on, particularly accent and interior lobby lighting,

  • TV screens and monitors have off switches which are rarely used in lieu of “standby mode”,

  • exercise equipment in the “Ready” mode but sitting idle,

  • plug load, or what is commonly called “Phantom Power”, is a huge opportunity.

Watch Energy@Work’s video for “Tips and Tricks” to reduce electricity waste over the holidays!

The challenge is taking place between:

6:00 PM Friday, December 17th, 2021 and 6:00 AM Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.

Stay tuned for results from this year’s challenge!

For additional suggestions on what you can do at home visit NRCan’s Guide to an Energy Efficient Holiday Season!

Any questions/comments can be directed to: holidaychallenge@energy-efficiency.com

Big thanks to Kerry Johnston for inviting Energy@Work to present to students in energy management and sustainability programs at Humber College. It was a great opportunity to welcome young professionals to the Energy Management industry and to share keys to succeed!

We had the opportunity to share some best practices and to outline our approaches and successes using measurement and verification (M&V). We completed the presentation by demonstrating our use of the recently released RETScreen Version 8.1 and shared real life examples of what Energy@Work’s clients achieved, even during the pandemic. RETScreen V 8.1 is quickly becoming an essential energy management tool within the commercial sector.

Presentations of this nature are great for students hoping to enter the industry after graduating. With a full curriculum, practical application of what’s being taught can be difficult to determine. We are appreciative of the opportunity to connect with the students of Humber and encourage others to collaborate as well
- students are our future!

An Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) plan is a key component to building planning and operation, as was well outlined in this Commercial Observer article.

People are becoming increasingly environmentally conscience. Tenants looking to rent a space are considering the impact of the building on the environment, the community, and their personal health. By establishing a strong ESG plan, a building has the upper hand on the market.

Working together and uniting ESG material values will deliver a greener and more efficient building. It will also be necessary to provide the level of assurance that occupants demand.

Many improvements to create a “greener” building are available for low or no-cost or have a short payback period.

“One of the most significant opportunities for savings is increasing the efficiency of building HVAC systems, which represents about 40 percent of energy use in most commercial buildings.”

Not only does an ESG plan make sense on an economic level, for attracting tenants, but it also creates a healthier building and supports Ontario’s goal of reducing GHG emissions to 65% below 1990 levels by 2030.

Lisa Liang is a Certified Sustainability (ESG) Practitioner and is creating ESG plans. Contact us to get started!

The November GA cost is $0.51 billion. This is an 11% increase from October’s GA (it was $0.46 billion), however, half of last year’s cost.

Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM cost and continues to ask “why?” and, this time, why did it drop almost in half? 

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance 

Score Card:
https://www.scorecard.efficiencycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ontario-1.pdf

With less support for Energy Efficiency, it is important to develop your own Energy Management Action Plan or E-MAP and include a Global Adjustment strategy.

Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for either Class A or Class B in order to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million.

On December 15th the City of Toronto announced their decision to adopt a strategy to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in the community- to reach net zero by 2040!

This strategy- one of the most ambitious in North America, will affect all building types. Buildings with an implemented ESG plan, which we see underway by a lot of companies, will already have their goals aligned with the CoT and will be prepared for the upcoming changes. This announcement can be seen as both a potential opportunity and risk mitigation strategy.

Thanks to your continued support, Energy@Work has been able to provide feedback to the city via the BOMA Toronto Energy Committee. The committee submitted a letter providing comments to ensure practical, constructive changes are made and to avoid the addition of unnecessary hurdles or barriers. It is important that BOMA remains part of the consultation to ensure the future requirements are assertive but also practical and, more importantly – consistent. 

There has been considerable ‘Greenwashing’ that erodes the great work that real leaders are achieving, as well as false claims by some on “miracle solutions”. Changes need to be impactful as well as realistic. 

We were able to provide the same type of feedback in relation to the EWRB O.Reg 506/18 to avoid a punitive penalty or an additional reporting requirement, and the Ministry listened!

Details on the City of Toronto’s decision will slowly emerge but will include items such as:
Targets:
30 per cent by 2020, 45 per cent by 2025, 65 per cent by 2030, net zero by 2040
Performance Targets:
Establish performance targets for existing buildings across Toronto

We will keep you posted as details emerge and, as always, we welcome your input and comments so that we can better represent the ‘customer’ perspective when it comes down to operational requirements.

City of Toronto approved:
Net Zero by 2040: City Council adopts ambitious climate strategy

Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate to hear your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you: Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work

Energy@Work's November Newsletter: News and Views

We were thrilled to hear the glowing comments from Linda Leistner, Property Manager of Berkeley Castle on the support she received from her “Energy Professional”: Energy@Work.

Her results are amazing and a tribute to her focus on doing things correctly, such as 3rd party commissioning of a new BAS, LED, operational changes and real time monitoring. The collective electricity savings were over 1,855,000 kWh, and she received an Energy Star Building Certification from NRCan! – exceptional results and especially impressive from a historic building.

"Energy@Work is the company that has worked tirelessly with us to make sure all this happened, and we could never have achieved these goals without them."

Linda Leistner (Berkeley Castle Tenant Update, July 2021)

 
Similarly, Lee Hodgkinson, Head of Sustainability & Technical Services at Dream Unlimited, shared the value of real time monitoring to identify operational opportunities. This is a cornerstone of our Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP). The opportunities that are gleaned through understanding building systems using the Current Facility Requirements leads to savings which can be achieved and sustained. An excellent example was a DREAM Property that saved over $37,000 in electricity, verified by Toronto Hydro.

Finally, Justin Taylor, COO of Greenrock, also supported the value that operators provide when they are supported and given the tools they need. The operational savings and increased asset value were proven through 365 Bloor Street E’s E-MAP. A Commercial Office success story. Greenrock achieved BOMA BEST Platinum certification and won the BOMA Toronto Earth Award, they then went on to win the BOMA National Earth Award – we are cheering them on for the upcoming international award!

The bottom line is the People, Process and Product trifecta. People drive change. Process, such as our E-MAP, provides the path. Products such as real time monitoring, are the tools needed to build the foundation that achieves and sustains these impressive results. Energy@Work is pleased to have been a part of these successes and especially appreciated the shout out from Justin!

By working together, we make a difference in attacking climate change and making a difference!

Energy@Work was invited to share our experience in verifying electricity savings during the pandemic. ASHRAE’s Halifax chapter hosted the hybrid in-person/virtual event on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021.

ASHRAE’s network supports professionals with a vast array of industry experience. These events are a great opportunity to share significant achievements through case studies. When COVID hit in 2020, it was a challenge to defend electricity efficiency savings from occupancy reduction. Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) provided the Guidelines and RETScreen provided the tools we needed to achieve $3.2 million in electricity savings that Toronto Hydro verified, across 21 commercial offices.

We were happy to take part, share our experience and encourage future collaboration!
 

BOMA Canada recently announced the revisioning of BOMA BEST Certification. Energy@Work has been invited to participate in the review process and had Beta tested the previous version, 3.0.

The updated version, BOMA BEST 4.0, will include an online platform available for Q3/4 of 2022.
The existing Version 3.0 online platform will close on December 31st, 2022. If you would like to obtain BOMA BEST 3.0 Certification, the verification request must be received by October 1st, 2022.

Lisa Liang is on the BOMA Canada Technical Committee and available to answer any questions or pass along your feedback.

The Holiday Challenge presents an opportunity for Landlords and Tenants to increase awareness around wasted electricity and reduce kWh use during the holiday period.
- we look forward to your participation!

This year’s 4th annual challenge will help raise awareness on, and mitigate, how much electricity is wasted over the holidays due to:
* systems continuing to run when not needed,
* lighting remaining on, particularly accent and interior lobby lighting,
* TV screens and monitors have off switches which are rarely used in lieu of “standby mode”,
* exercise equipment “in the ready mode” but sitting idle,
* plug load or what is commonly called “Phantom Power” is a huge opportunity

This year’s challenge will take place between:

6:00 PM Friday, December 17th, 2021 to 6:00 AM Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.

Last year’s challenge was a huge success with participation from over 30 commercial buildings achieving an average kWh reduction of 6% (376,000 kWh). There was no reported capital expense and the savings are equivalent to 32 homes' electricity use for one year!

Upon receipt of your approval to participate, a participant toolkit will be shared including ‘tips and tricks’ to reduce ‘phantom power’ as well as our “tips and tricks” video. The property with the greatest percentage kWh reduction during the challenge period, compared to the baseline (6:00PM Friday November 26th, 2021 - 6:00 AM Tuesday, December 14th, 2021), will be the Champion of the 4th Annual Holiday Challenge (prize to follow)!

We look forward to another great challenge and your participation for the chance to be the greatest reducer!

Any questions/comments can be directed to: holidaychallenge@energy-efficiency.com

BOMA Toronto invited Energy@Work to share case study examples of putting ACTION into an ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP).

Case studies and years of experience were used provide examples from:
Madison Properties
Northam Realty
Greenrock and other stories that were all: NON-FICTION

E-MAP achieved numerous national and international awards for achievements that obtained 3rd party verification.

The October GAM cost is $0.46 billion.
 
Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM cost and continues to ask “why?” and, this time, why did it drop almost in half?

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, conservation continues to be reported as the reason for GAM although there was a drastic reduction in support according to the Canadian Efficiency Alliance!

Score Card:
https://www.scorecard.efficiencycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ontario-1.pdf

With less support for Energy Efficiency, it is important to develop your own Energy Management Action Plan or E-MAP and include a Global Adjustment strategy.
Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for either Class A or Class B in order to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million.

In this month’s M&V Focus, EVO took a deep dive into Energy@Work’s use of EVO Guidelines to verify electricity saving during the pandemic. The real savings achieved at Menkes’s 4711 Yonge Street commercial office were explored to show how RETScreen, NRE and NRA were used. The article highlights the work put forth by 4711 Yonge which achieved savings, as well as the obstacles in verifying savings during the COVID period. EVO’s Guidelines allowed 3rd party verification for an incentive payment under the OPSaver Pay for Performance (P4P) program. An excellent team effort!

To her growing list of talents, Lisa Liang can now add Certified Sustainability (ESG) Practitioner!

As Energy@Work’s in-house ESG expert, Lisa has the latest information, tools, and resources to provide strategies and upscales to corporate sustainability.

A formal ESG Plan and strategy has become a fundamental component to corporate sustainability planning. It ensures that a company’s practices align with their environmental and social goals to drive long term value and achieve reduction targets- not to mention the economic value!

Contact Lisa Liang to find out more about setting up your ESG strategy!

Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate to hear your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you, please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work

Energy@Work's 4th Annual Holiday Challenge is Right Around the Corner!

This is the 4th annual challenge to help raise awareness of and mitigate how much electricity is wasted over the holidays due to:

* systems continuing to run when not needed,
* lighting remaining on, particularly accent and interior lobby lighting,
* TV screens and monitors have off switches which are rarely used in lieu of standby mode,
* exercise equipment “in the ready mode’ but sitting idle,
* plug load or what is commonly called “Phantom Power” is a huge opportunity

This year’s challenge  will occur between 6:00 PM Friday, December 17th, 2021 - 6:00 AM Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.  The challenge presents an opportunity to reduce electricity use during the holiday period- we look forward to your participation!

Watch our quick video and find out what the Holiday Challenge is all about!

Last year’s challenge was a huge success with participation from over 30 commercial buildings achieving an average kWh reduction of 6% (376,000 kWh) during the challenge period with no capital, equivalent to 32 homes' electricity use for one year!

Recommended Next Steps:

i) Reach out to Energy@Work if you would like to participate: holidaychallenge@energy-efficiency.com

ii) Alert Operations Team of participation

iii) Review existing Holiday Sequence of Operations and develop a challenge period schedule (considering tenant comfort, equipment safety and energy efficiency)

iv) Encourage tenants to participate by eliminating phantom power (switch off monitors, TV screens, coffee makers, etc.)

  • Feel free to share our above video

v) Collaborate with tenants to consider "Hibernation mode adjustments" for unoccupied spaces

 

Upon receipt of your approval to participate, a participant toolkit will be shared including ‘tips and tricks’ to reduce ‘phantom power’. The property with the greatest percentage kWh reduction during the challenge period compared to the baseline (6:00 PM Friday November 26th, 2021 - 6:00 AM Tuesday, December 14th, 2021) will be the Champion of the 4th Annual Holiday Challenge (prize to follow)!

This year, NRCan released the Energy Efficiency Checklist for closed or partially vacant offices- Click here to download!

We look forward to another great challenge and your participation for the chance to be the greatest reducer!

 

Any questions/comments can be directed to: holidaychallenge@energy-efficiency.com

Energy@Work's October Newsletter: News and Views

Energy@Work’s use of RETScreen extends across our portfolio and now has the capability to verify savings during the pandemic. RETScreen’s new version, 8.1, will make it easier to capture findings by allowing users to factor in Non-Routine Adjustments (NRA) within the program.

When the pandemic hit, building occupancy reduction caused uncertainty on many different levels, including verification of savings from a Pay for Performance program. We track, report, and help to reduce our clients GHG footprint and costs through the Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP). Our challenge was verifying savings independent of the occupancy reduction.

EVO’s guidelines provided 7 Approaches to Identify Non-Routine Events (NRE) such as Covid as well as 10 Methods for Non-Routine Adjustment (NRA) to exclude the impact of NREs and update the electricity baseline. By applying EVO’s NRA/NRE guidelines we were able to achieve over 16 million kWh in savings across 28 properties, verified by Toronto Hydro.

RETScreen version 8.1 now offers the capability to factor in Non-Routine Adjustments directly through the RETScreen software, providing a reliable turnkey tool for M&V plans.

Congratulations to the RETScreen team on this exciting new development!

Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) shared Energy@Work’s approach of capturing verified savings during the pandemic in their M&V Focus article: EVO’s Guidelines to Quantify Electricity Savings During a Pandemic

Our Key elements included:
1) People, Process and Products
2) Measurement and Verification (M&V) including COVID response
3) Experience with the new IESO EPP program and lessons learned

Scott Rouse and Amir Kamandlooie presented at the Energy Leaders Consortium, hosted by Partners in Project Green. The session was conducted for Industrial Energy Professionals and focused on demonstrating results using Measurement and Verification (M&V). Scott and Amir outlined M&V results Energy@Work has achieved, the value and process of M&V and details on the new IESO Energy Performance Program (EPP).

Presentation is available by contacting Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

BOMA Canada's National Awards Gala offered a great opportunity to look back on a difficult year and recognize industry leaders who have demonstrated meaningful and continuous commitments to building improvements.

Energy@Work is proud to work with some of this years’ award recipients:

365 Bloor Street East (Postmedia Place) - Managed by Greenrock Commercial Services Ltd:
Winner of BOMA Canada’s National Earth Award in the Office category

The National Earth Award recognizes the highest scoring BOMA BEST Certified building as leaders in resource preservation and environmentally sound commercial building management.
The diligent team at 365 Bloor Street East are committed to their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. Their efforts have resulted in continuous improvements and success, year after year leading to this year’s National award. Special shout out to Alaric da Cunha and his team! 

Michael Hasko - Dream Unlimited Corp:
Winner of the Emerging Leader Award

The Emerging Leader Award was presented for the first time at this year’s gala. The newly created award recognizes an individual under 35 years who has exemplified leadership, initiative, and service to the commercial real estate community. We continuously see the consistent efforts Michael Hasko puts forth and it’s great to see his hard work recognized at the National level.

Michael credits his team for the results and we know that every team needs a leader
– great choice this year!

Elena Muto - Menkes Property Management Services:
Winner of the Elaina Tattersdale Sustainability Champion Award

The Elaina Tattersdale Sustainability Champion Award is a new award presented for the first-time at this year’s gala. This award recognizes a sustainability champion who is an unsung hero in the commercial real estate community. Elena Muto has been a driving force behind the countless energy efficiency and sustainability achievements at 4711 Yonge Street, managed by Menkes.

Congratulations and well deserved!
 

Although the electricity rates did not go down, as we feel they should have, the rates did not go up. Electricity rates will stay the same and hopefully we will have better news on May 1st, 2022, if the Global Adjustment costs are audited as recommended.


Please visit https://www.oeb.ca if you would like detailed information.

The theme of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) was prevalent during the 2021 BOMEX keynote session, presented by Stephanie Mehta.

Mehta described the "Next Normal" to be an intersection of the following 8 pillars: Dynamic, Transparent, Antifragile, Collaborative, Intelligent, Sustainable, Inclusive, and Empathetic, and affirmed the landscape is ever-changing requiring great flexibility.

She stressed that the "next normal" will be driven by People while requiring transparency to eliminate “green-wash” in order to generate meaningful success.

“Fostering innovation isn't tied to a physical space, but rather to collaboration” and, as we have found, collaboration is synonymous with 'people'.

This is mirrored within Energy@Work, particularly since the beginning of COVID when our team transitioned to permanent remote work, whilst being recognized with the 2020 Collaborative Excellence and, recently, the 2021 Innovative Excellence r2r CREST Awards. These achievements wouldn't have been possible without the meaningful collaborations and commitments within our internal team, and externally with our clients on a regular basis. It truly is a team effort.

Collaboration strategies have been abundant since the beginning of the pandemic. Whether it’s adapting to a new software, reassessing which qualities and strengths are necessary for certain roles, or bringing together cross-functional teams. It's clear that 'people', and the way we interact and support one another will be the key to success in the “next normal”.

Contact Us for more details on how your commercial office or multi-family building can join NRCan's registry of Canada's ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings.

“ENERGY STAR certified buildings save energy, save money, and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings.”
https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/building_recognition/building_certification

The September GAM cost is back up $0.67 billion, this is a 22% increase from August’s GAM cost – “why?”.

Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM cost and continues to ask “why?”.

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, conservation continues to be reported as the reason for GAM. Another ‘why?’ question that remains unanswered.

Energy@Work’s services includes a “GAM coach”. We maintain the importance of a GAM Strategy for either Class A or Class B to win the (GAM)e. Our collective savings have exceeded $10 million.

We assist in evaluating Class A eligibility and assess potential strategies for both Class A and B.

Congratulations to 25 York on achieving the highest BOMA BEST score globally- 99.2! Their score has earned them a BOMA BEST Platinum certification.

25 York has demonstrated their commitment to operational excellence and energy efficient strategies. They continue to implement innovative ideas while maintaining tenant safety and comfort. Their success has resulted in:
i) 2021 Canadian Green Building Award in the Existing Building category,
ii) the 2021 BOMA Toronto Climate Champion CREST Award,
iii) the 2019 TOBY Award, as well as
iii) becoming Canada’s first-ever Fitwel certified office tower in 2018.

“We are thrilled to be able to set the bar extremely high with respect to industry benchmarks,” said Cindy Woyslaw, general manager, Menkes Property Management Services. “However, what’s more important and meaningful to us is that we can not only meet but exceed the expectations of our tenants when it comes to providing them with a sustainable, healthy workplace.”
https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/25-york-street-earns-highest-boma-best-score/

Stay tuned, stay connected and stay safe!

We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate to hear your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you, please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
- Energy@Work