Energy efficiency and renewable energy for municipal buildings in Grand Falls-Windsor

The Town of Grand Falls-Windsor wishes to complete a study on the environmental and financial feasibility of implementing energy-efficiency measures with renewable energy to a group of town buildings. The project includes two arenas, the YMCA fitness centre, the town hall, the water and wastewater treatment plants, the fire hall, two municipally-owned office buildings, and the public works depot. Grand Falls-Windsor has been dealing with issues related to these buildings such as high energy usage, deferred capital expenditures, low thermal comfort and high greenhouse gas emissions. Measures and technologies to be considered in the study include the following: • Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, upgrade of existing control sequences and building envelope measures in all the buildings in the group • A new ice plant with a heat-recovery system at the two arenas • Variable speed heat pumps, air- or ground-source heat pumps, upgraded pool cover controls, a high-efficiency dehumidifier and ultraviolet sanitization to reduce chlorine usage at the YMCA fitness centre • Piping insulation and a high-efficiency dehumidifier at the water treatment plant • Air-handling units and solar panels at the public works depot and fire hall; • Upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) plus solar panels at the two municipally-owned office buildings • A wind turbine at the wastewater treatment plant The expected environmental benefit is a 30% energy savings over all buildings in the group. Less than 10% will come from renewable energy. Other benefits include a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and generation of municipality-owned energy. A Level 3 American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) audit will be performed in each building and will include a system-by-system and room-by-room investigation of mechanical and electrical systems. Grand Falls-Windsor also plans to conduct interviews with town stakeholders to help identify priorities. Preliminary designs, sizing of new equipment and cost estimates are some of the deliverables of this study. This study aligns with the town’s Five-year Strategic Plan and its Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. Innovative aspect(s): This project features an innovative financial structure where costs are financed by savings guaranteed under an energy performance contract between Grand Falls-Windsor and its consultant. This structure allows the municipality to complete an extensive study without having to approve an additional budget over operational costs. Replicability: The financial structure could be replicated by other municipalities that do not have the capacity to leverage large sums of money to undertake projects. The study’s findings could be of interest to several municipalities across Canada experiencing similar issues to those faced by Grand Falls-Windsor—high energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, deferred capital expenditures and low thermal comfort. (Project description from original funding application)