Greenhouse Gas Campus Retrofit Program to boost energy efficiency across Province
On February 13, 2018, the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change jointly announced funding to improve energy efficiency in the Ontario college and university sector.
This investment, funded by proceeds from the cap and trade program, is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan which includes funding for projects that reduce energy consumption and lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the joint press release, the funding for publicly-assisted colleges and universities for energy efficiency measures on campus include three broad areas:
- Installation of energy-efficient windows and high-efficiency boiler replacements
- Retrofits, upgrades and new construction for projects that achieve significant emissions reductions and/or demonstrate innovative approaches to increase campus sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas pollution
- Projects that reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs through interest-free loans
Aligned with this support to implement energy efficiency measures and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the newly announced Real Time Energy Monitoring system program by OECM (Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace), a not-for-profit corporation, mandated to support collaborative purchasing for Ontario’s publicly-funded education sector.
Real Time Energy Monitoring (RTEM) promises to become the next frontier in energy management in Ontario colleges and universities, as the value associated with metering and monitoring in real time with significant potential to reduce energy use and associated operating costs becomes recognized across the province.
With RTEM Systems, campus facility managers can gain access to energy consumption data at the circuit level in real time to pinpoint energy usage, identify areas where energy is wasted, and create opportunities to increase efficiency and generate cost savings. The RTEM systems are designed to view and compare the energy footprint for an entire portfolio of buildings such as all buildings on campus and the data can even be aggregated for multiple campuses owned by the same institution.
CircuitMeter Inc. through its channel partner, Kontrol Energy Corp. (Kontrol), has been selected by OECM to be a contracted supplier of Real Time Energy Monitoring Systems to client organizations which include colleges and universities across Ontario. OECM is managing the process as a means to provide public sector facility managers with the ability to more easily contract with pre-screened suppliers of energy services and technology.
For more information on OECM’s Real Time Energy Monitoring System agreement visit oecm.ca/real-time-energy-monitoring-systems.