Establishing new energy monitoring and analysis systems in three municipalities within the County of Kings, Nova Scotia

The Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST) will assist 3 partner municipalities in the County of Kings improve the energy performance of their buildings. More specifically, the project will benchmark energy use in 23 municipally- and community- owned buildings and compare them to other buildings in the portfolio and across the province, by analyzing utility data from the past 3 years on Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The results of the analysis will allow QUEST to identify the best performing buildings, as well as the best candidates for energy upgrades and improvements. This initial assessment will be complemented by walk-through evaluations of the 12 worst performing buildings in the portfolio, equivalent to Level 1 ASHRAE energy audits, to help identify practical and cost-effective energy conservation measures. During the audits, web-enabled data loggers will also be installed on key systems to provide ongoing data on energy use and performance, which will help inform future decision-making on building maintenance and improvements. QUEST will also provide training to municipal staff on Energy Star Portfolio Manager so that they can access, track, and update building energy use profiles once the project is complete. This project will feed into the broader Kings County Building Energy Road Map report, which will serve as a guide to assist the 3 partner municipalities continue to systematically and cost-effectively upgrade municipal and community buildings through recommissioning and retrofit implementation projects in future years. (Project description from original funding application)