The challenge of managing Peel Region’s modern energy needs while fostering a healthy, clean environment involves rethinking the very concept of energy. The Region of Peel is working to meet this challenge in a way that builds on sound financial planning, maximises Regional partnerships and helps develop sustainable communities.
Some of the Region’s energy management activities include energy efficiency audits, building retrofits, exploring opportunities for renewable energy, bi-fuel generation, demand reduction programs and providing general advisory services to all internal departments.
For one of Peel’s first large scale energy audits, Ausenco was retained to assess 13 sites (9 pumping stations, 2 waste water treatment facilities, 2 water treatment facilities) and a total of 54 buildings. The energy audit included estimates of energy saved, reduction of CO2 emissions, budgetary capital estimates for upgrades, simple payback/IRR as well as recommendations to convert to cleaner sources of energy (i.e. natural gas to electricity).
Ausenco took their knowledge of piping systems, utility systems, HVAC, material, process, and energy conservation to address:
- Insulation values of architectural shell
- Insulation of piping
- Hot water heating systems
- Odour removal systems
- HVAC and heat recovery
- Geothermal systems
- District Heating systems
- Building Automation Systems
- Lighting
- Power Factor Correction
- Thermographic imaging of the buildings and roofs for heat loss and follow-up to determine retrofit required to reduce heat losses
- Survey of fleet vehicles
- Operator behaviour with respect to energy conservation
Overall Ausenco identified over 32 million kWh of savings equivalent to 9,545 tonnes of CO 2 reductions.