In 2003, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) conducted a survey of Canadian colleges and found that they consumed nearly 13 million GJ, an amount equal to the annual average consumption of approximately 113,000 Canadian households. Of that, Ontario colleges consumed 2.9 million GJ – a significant portion of the overall consumption.

 

To improve energy efficiency on campus, Algonquin has partnered with Direct Energy Business Services to implement the Energy Performance Contract, which will involve upgrades to existing campus infrastructure. The EPC is designed to provide the College with upgrades to its existing infrastructure that will result in improved building performance that will pay for itself over a 10-year period, achieve significant increases in energy savings and make a contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.  The project is anticipated to assist Algonquin College in achieving significant energy savings, resulting in 1,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

The Energy Performance Contract encompasses a number of technical measures including:

• Lighting retrofit and lighting upgrades;
• Building automation systems upgrades and optimization;
• Mechanical systems upgrades (replacing inefficient, with efficient technologies;  upgrades to ventilation systems and programming);
• Heating and cooling plant upgrades;
• Water conservation measures (replaced fixtures – install low flow toilets, urinals, and faucet aerators);
• Building envelope sealing (installed weather-stripping in doors and sealed cracks around windows);
• Vending machine controls (pilot project); and
• Energy efficient computer management system upgrade (pilot project working closely with ITS).

 

Energy Awareness Advisory Committee

The Energy Awareness Advisory Committee (EAAC) is a sub-committee to the Campus Master Plan Steering Committee. The EAAC is comprised of representatives from 14 departments representing the variety of energy users on campus.  The EAAC is led by Physical Resources as the proponent for the EPC and is taking a leadership role in the implementation of energy awareness activities on campus.