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Subsidized Housing a Source for Energy Savings Municipalities Mandated to Report Conservation Progress
March, 2008
By Kaitlyn Baptist
Hamilton City Housing has introduced a $1.9 million multi-faceted energy management plan, combining energy-efficient initiatives with renewable energy systems to minimize consumption and reduce environmental impact. This follows Hamilton City Council's adoption of a new Corporate Energy Policy in 2007, which set a target to reduce energy use in City-owned buildings by 20 per cent by 2020.
"Our Council has put a great deal of commitment behind energy initiatives and they recognize the many benefits that come as a result of moving forward with energy conservation, and it's not just dollar saving" says Geoff Lupton, Hamilton's Manager of Energy Initiatives. "As we continue to push forward we are helping to protect the environment, conserve energy and water resources, improve city housing conditions and educate the community."
Several initiatives are slated for the City's subsidized housing portfolio this year including boiler replacements, lighting retrofits, water conservation, energy audits and a pilot project to test solar domestic hot water applications. With projected annual energy savings of $300,000, City officials expect to recoup their capital investment in about 6.5 years.
"We've been extremely careful through the process that we put in proven technology as opposed to taking a risk on something that may or may not perform as well," says Jim Hickey, Senior Project Manager of Energy Initiatives. "The tenants are our customers and it is important to us that their needs are met first. The savings are secondary."
Solar equipment will be installed and operational in at least one housing complex this summer with the aim of reducing natural gas use for domestic hot water by 30 to 40%. Other planned energy efficiency measures are expected to deliver savings of 7.5 per cent on water, 2 per cent on hydro and 2 per cent on natural gas, going beyond the 1.5 per cent annual savings target adopted in the Energy Policy. Modernized equipment should also save on maintenance costs.
"At the end of the day what we end up doing is putting in better quality equipment, improving the existing technology and saving much more energy over the long run," Lupton says. "When you look at the hard numbers, it starts to become a no-brainer."
The initiatives will also support the City's efforts to comply with Ontario's Energy Conservation Responsibility Act. That legislation was passed in 2007 and requires municipalities to report on energy consumption, proposed conservation measures and progress on achieving results in all of municipally owned buildings.
"Everything from kilowatt-hours for electrical use to cubic metres of water will be tracked on a per suite basis, providing us with a reliable measuring stick," Hickey says. "The tracking system prompted the legislation is an excellent exercise in determining where energy is going in order to control what is being used. Providing this kind of baseline helps determine what is normal within the industry and within our own portfolio."
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