City of Mississauga Citywide Energy Audit/Feasibility Study on Advanced Energy Efficiency Measures for Five-Year Capital Project Implementation

The City of Mississauga will undertake a Citywide Energy Audit in 2014, covering 100 municipally owned and managed facilities. The energy audit will serve as the basis for a feasibility study on advanced energy efficiency measures for their Five-Year Capital Project Implementation project. The feasibility study will fully support the city’s Living Green Master Plan, which requires efforts to reduce energy and water usage in city facilities, and is expected to bring out more innovative opportunities for the city to achieve energy savings and cost reductions. It will also complement the city’s Energy Benchmarking, Energy Awareness and Recommissioning (EBEAR) Program. The goal of the energy audit is to identify opportunities for improvements and enhancements in the following areas: energy efficiency; capital retrofits and investments; operation and maintenance; building functionality; occupants’ comfort, health, safety and productivity; and reduced environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the energy audit, the feasibility study will examine new and advanced energy efficiency measures, such as cool roofs, daylight harvesting, heat recovery, high-efficiency transformers and solar-powered air conditioners. The study will also consider more typical measures, such as computerized building automation systems; high-efficiency lighting retrofits; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system improvements; an energy-efficient chiller/boiler/furnace; variable speed drives for pumps and motors; low-flow water fixtures; water clarity control for pool operations; solar water heating; and solar photovoltaic panels. The final study recommendations will be based on a triple-bottom-line evaluation approach, looking at environmental, economic and social factors. Cost-benefit, life cycle cost analysis, and net present value will also be used to make investment decisions. The city is aiming for a 30 per cent reduction in annual energy and water consumption in its facilities, relative to 2012–2013 usage, with a simple payback within 10 years. Mississauga will then use the Utility Tracking and Reporting Software to track, maintain, and report electricity, gas, and water usage, and they will use the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) to provide an overview of current best practice techniques available for verifying results of energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy projects. Based on the feasibility study recommendations, the city will develop a five-year energy conservation and demand management strategy, as per the requirements of the provincial Green Energy Act (Ontario Regulation 397/11). The strategy will include an energy efficiency action plan, to be developed in consultation with stakeholders. Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies are highly replicable; therefore, the study results will be relevant to other municipalities. The exploration of innovative technologies is expected to have positive spillover effects in the community, province and region. (Project description from original funding application)