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With more than 3,100 megawatts (MW) of
energy generation capacity right on its
doorstep, the citizens of Pickering
understand how valuable a resource it is –
and the importance of using it wisely.
Building an Energy Hub
“We’re building a new community culture
focused on the responsible use of energy –
in all facets of our daily lives. As a
municipality, it’s incumbent on us to lead
the way,” said Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan.
Pickering, and Durham Region as a whole,
is positioning itself as the “Energy Capital
of Ontario” – a place where energy is
produced, but also as a leader that partners
with government, business and academia
to develop energy solutions.
“Roughly 20 per cent of our workforce is
involved in the energy industry in some way – whether it’s at the Pickering Nuclear
Generating Station or the many new energy
service businesses that have located here,”
said Ron Taylor, City Development
Coordinator. “We see our approach to
energy issues as a key differentiator for
our community.”
Sustainable Decision Making
The City approaches energy issues from all
angles – sustainable development, business
attraction, environmental concerns and
fiscal responsibility. This shift took hold a
few years ago with the development of a
local action plan to establish greenhouse
gas emission reduction targets. This project, funded by the City of Pickering
and the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities, as well as through
sponsorship from the local distribution
company Veridian, Ontario Power
Generation (OPG) and Enbridge, created an
inventory of emissions produced by
municipal operations and the community,
which soon became the catalyst for action.
Pickering is the first municipality in Ontario to establish an Office of Sustainability. The Office works with Council and the
other City departments to ensure that
environmental, economic and social
objectives are considered and integrated
in all municipal actions and decisions.
The Office is also driving forward projects
such as the preparation of sustainable development guidelines, a greenhouse gas
reduction program and other sustainability
programs that will change the way the
community grows and evolves.
Leading by Example
With a population that’s expected to double
in 20 years, Pickering aims to reduce its
corporate greenhouse gas footprint by
50 per cent and its community greenhouse
gas footprint by 35 per cent (both on a
per capita basis). Already, it is starting
to count up its successes. (See chart below
for a breakdown of Pickering’s electricity
consumption.)
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Nearing the end of its service life, the
Pickering Civic Complex and Main Central
Library’s lighting system was an obvious
target for energy reductions. A lighting
retrofit is generating $60,000 a year in
energy savings with a four-year pay back.
This project went beyond merely improving
energy efficiency – it also encompasses
load shifting and peak shaving. Both
buildings are programmed to turn on and
off according to scheduled hours, with the
ability to turn off non-essential lighting
during price spikes, increasing the savings
even more. And lighting can be easily
adjusted down to take advantage of natural
lighting when it’s available.
The City is also rethinking the way it
uses its chilling systems at some of its
major facilities – including the recreation
complex which houses swimming pools,
fitness rooms and banquet facilities. City
staff have been experimenting with their
advanced Building Automation System to determine how much chilling load can be
shifted to off-peak times. Tests have shown
that they can generally cool the buildings
overnight, and avoid the higher-priced
times of the day. Even during extremely
humid periods, they can limit their run
times during the day. By shifting more than
300 kilowatts from the peak periods, the
City expects to save between $11,000 and
$15,000 a year.
Growing Smart
With the development of the new
community of Seaton, Pickering is
expected to welcome an additional 70,000
new residents and 35,000 new jobs over
the next two decades. The City is preparing
sustainable performance measures for
Seaton as well as other developments to
ensure the creation of socially,
environmentally and economically-viable
communities over the long-term.
“Prospective homeowners and businesses
are asking us upfront: ‘What is Pickering doing to encourage more energy-efficient buildings and |
neighbourhoods?’” said
Ron Taylor, City Development
Coordinator. As a result, Pickering
continues to develop a series of
requirements and guidelines
for developers and builders to promote
sustainable development, addressing
such issues as district energy, passive
heating and lighting and the installation
of energy-efficient appliances.
For more information on the City
of Pickering’s sustainability initiatives
go to www.sustainablepickering.com. |
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“The challenge for any municipality is to
be able to determine the most appropriate
technology; the one that will work best in
the community and provide lasting
solutions,” said Thomas J. Quinn,
Pickering’s Chief Administrative Officer. “By focusing first on the equipment that
needs to be replaced, the City was able to
select those projects that would give us the
most bang for the buck – and get the
experience we need for future projects.”
With these projects under its belt, the
next step, according to Quinn, is for the
municipality to establish a city-wide
energy management plan that sets
specific energy reduction targets and
creates corporate-wide programs to
meet them.
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