Feasibility Study of Energy-efficient Recommissioning and Retrofits in City of Waterloo Facilities

The City of Waterloo will conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of retrofits and recommissioning measures to significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in approximately 45 city owned facilities. The study will support the implementation of the City’s Energy Management Plan and help them meet corporate milestones 1–3 of FCM’s Partners for Climate Protection program. The study will provide a holistic view of each facility and the various options for improvement. The first step will be to measure the current performance of energy systems in city-owned buildings, including the impact of programming and maintenance on energy consumption and GHG emissions. Researchers will identify physical changes, operational improvements and behavioral shifts to conserve energy and water and reduce GHG emissions. These changes include potential modifications to the building envelope, HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), lighting, plug loads, building automation systems, domestic hot water systems, showers, toilets and faucets. Researchers will also explore opportunities for actions identified in the city’s Environmental Strategy, including load shedding, ISO 14001 compliance and the purchase of renewable energy. Eight of the city-owned buildings have been identified for a solar assessment. Researchers will also identify buildings that may comply with LEED for existing buildings criteria, and will investigate the feasibility and impact of making certain buildings carbon neutral, net-zero ready and off-grid. For each potential improvement, researchers will calculate the return on investment over the short, medium and long term, given the life cycle of the system in question. They will estimate the reductions in energy and water consumption and GHG emissions and the increase in renewable energy production. The study will make recommendations for implementation and offer suggestions for future auditing, ongoing commissioning, staff training, measurement and verification. The results will provide a useful benchmark against similar facilities across Canada, and will be shared through regional initiatives of which the City of Waterloo is a part, including Sustainable Waterloo Region's Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI), and ClimateActionWR, a regional multi-stakeholder initiative led by the Region of Waterloo (GMF 12005). (Project description from original funding application)