Welcome to Energy Management in the Municipality of Trent Hills!
Successful Energy Management can have many positive effects on the environment and the community. Saving energy means preserving the environment and very often coincides with saving money. A reduction in energy consumption in Municipal facilities results in monetary savings and enables the municipality to reinvest in projects that will make facilities more energy and environmentally efficient.
The Municipality of Trent Hills has developed an Energy Management Working Group designed to oversee energy efficient retrofits, track electricity, natural gas, and water consumption in municipal facilities, and propose policy and procedure changes that can result in a reduction in energy costs and consumption. It is important to know that what you do not track you can not manage. The working group is comprised of a variety of municipal staff and council members - which ensures a variety of experience, ideas and opinions. Having municipal resources devoted to energy management and conservation allows for the implementation of energy and cost saving measures as well as the initiation of programs that other municipalities throughout the province participate in, such as the Count Me In! Challenge.
Initiatives of the Energy Management Working Group and municipal employees include:
- Bulk purchasing of electricity for municipal facilities with an expected cost savings of 35%
- Municipal copy paper reduction through the use of digital agendas, newsletters, memos, and policies
- Programmable thermostats to control temperature and comfort level in the Municipal Office
- LED lighting in Old Mill Park
- An energy management policy and procedures to be adopted in the very near future
- In depth tracking of energy use in each municipal facility
- Energy Audits of Municipal facilities and applying for government grants and rebates to receive funding for energy efficient retrofits in municipal facilities.
- Downsizing 40 gallon hot water tanks in the Municipal Office to more efficient and practical 6 gallon tanks.
Resources:
Energy Management Newsletter 1
Energy Management Newsletter 2
Energy Management Newsletter 3
Residential Energy Efficiency Incentives Program - August 2009
If you have any energy savings tips, tricks, or questions please feel free to contact the Municipality of Trent Hills.
John Smallwood - Building Official/ Facilities Coordinator
john.smallwood@trenthills.ca
Count Me In! Challenge:
The Municipality of Trent Hills recently participated in the Count Me In! Challenge hosted by the Ontario Power Authority and the Government of Ontario. In the portion of the competition for the highest energy consumption drop on August 14th 2009 the Municipality of Trent Hills reduced its energy consumption from 20,762kWh on Friday, August 7th to 18317kWh on the challenge day of Friday, August 14th, 2009. Great work Trent Hills!
The Count Me In! Challenge for individual building is still accepting pledges and awarding prizes. General participation in the challenge can reward participants with a multitude of prizes, including: TV's. Energy Star Certified home appliances (refrigerators, washing machine, dryer, etc.) and a new computer. Gift cards from Best Buy, iTunes, Home Hardware and Amazon.com are available as daily prizes. So what are you waiting for? Participate today!
