Council of Energy Ministers

Collaborative Actions From Canada's Energy Ministers

Equipment, Appliances and Lighting
Buildings and Houses
Transportation
Industry
Information on Industry Energy Efficiency

Equipment, Appliances and Lighting

The energy efficiency of many products has improved substantially over the last few years, largely as a result of increasingly stringent standards, as well as vigorous labelling and incentive programs. But, at the same time, the amount of energy that Canadians consume by using some of these products, like consumer electronics and small appliances, has grown by over 100% since 1990. This situation highlights the significant potential to improve the efficiency of equipment that Canadians use every day. We have tools that work but we need to continue to apply them as new products and technologies present themselves.

Representatives from federal, provincial and territorial governments and utilities are working together to reduce energy use in six important end-uses: lighting; heating, cooling and ventilation of commercial buildings; heating, cooling and ventilation of homes; appliances; water heating, and standby power.

Reasonable, but challenging, long-term goals for improving the efficiency of products that serve these uses are being determined. Examples of such goals include:

Lighting- By 2015, make lighting twice as efficient as the 2012 standard (from 20 lumens/watt to 40 lumens/watt) through regulation and consumer education.
Commercial space heating, cooling and ventilation - Investigate the product development, marketing and standards needed for equipment to achieve high efficiency.
Residential space heating, cooling and ventilation - The efficiency of new and replacement gas furnaces will increase from 78% to 90% by December 31, 2009 as a result of new federal standards. Future efforts will focus on the whole home approach over the long term, including heating, cooling and ventilation.
Appliances - Continue energy efficiency improvements, with a possible long-term outcome of reducing average energy consumption for all appliances by 24% by 2020.
Water heating - With a whole systems approach, analyse hot water use, solar pre-heating, pipe insulation, drain water heat recovery and water conservation. Improve equipment performance through regulation and marketing tools. Investigate the potential for integrated space and water heating, cooling and ventilation systems.
Standby power - Establish a one watt consumption standard for equipment in 2010 so that consumer electronics, for example, will not consume more than one watt when they are turned off or in standby mode. Programs would support the aim of the new standard to increase the availability of new-technology products and remove old-technology products from the marketplace.

Collaborative activities are underway that provide for a coordinated approach to transform the efficiency of equipment sold in Canada. These activities will complement existing actions that include regulated efficiency standards for most energy-using products such as light bulbs and furnaces; labelling programs such as EnerGuide and ENERGY STAR; utility incentive programs; provincial sales tax rebates; and government procurement specifications.

For lighting, a plan has been developed and is well underway to transform the market to more energy-efficient products. For the other 5 priority categories, work is underway to identify the required research, analyze the barriers to energy-efficient product development and uptake, and determine which instruments and promotional tools will be the most effective to overcome those barriers.

Interested firms, individuals and organizations will have opportunities to provide input and to learn of progress made toward the goals. As technology and markets evolve, these goals will be revised and other energy applications considered. As we work to move the market to higher efficiency, the greatest gain will be achieved through a common infrastructure of standards, programs and information in order to maximize the contribution of public and private stakeholders.

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Buildings and Houses

Work started last year among the Council of Energy Ministers’ jurisdictions to upgrade the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. This will deliver a model code with a goal to be at least 25% more stringent than today’s model national code. Interested jurisdictions can adopt the code and be assured that all new buildings in their region will yield significant energy savings over the lifetime of new buildings.

The built environment represents almost one-third of the energy used by Canadians, and jurisdictions are looking for ways to improve efficiency in buildings in Canada while maintaining suitable levels of comfort. The collaborative actions underway in this sector will ensure that, over time, Canadians change the way they build, purchase and operate homes and buildings to maximize their energy savings.

1. Building Labelling

Work is underway on an energy labelling system for both new and existing buildings. This will allow consumers to compare the energy consumption of entire buildings, guiding them to more efficient choices. According to the Canada Green Building Council, tenants are increasingly demanding evidence of building energy efficiency before making occupancy decisions or signing leases. The system being developed capitalizes on the success of building labels in the European Union and of Canada’s EnerGuide labelling program. Building labels are being tested in over 240 buildings across Canada this year. A labelling program will be ready for interested jurisdictions to adopt by September 2009.

2. Building Commissioning and Re-commissioning

At least 50% of all commercial/institutional buildings in Canada have operational deficiencies that can seriously compromise their performance and cost building owners billions of dollars in wasted energy. Improperly maintained and operated equipment may malfunction, compromise indoor air quality and comfort, elevate energy use and cause underperformance on energy efficiency and environmental goals and targets. A technique called commissioning ensures that lighting, heating, water, air conditioning, ventilation and all other systems in a new building are optimized to run together at peak efficiency. Re-commissioning applies the same practice to existing buildings. These measures can yield energy savings of between 5% and 15% with typical financial paybacks of less than 3 years. For example, in a long-term care facility in Montreal, energy savings of $70,000 per year were identified from a $30,000 investment in re-commissioning. Similar savings are available across the building stock.

To ensure that these opportunities are realized, federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions are working collaboratively on a strategic action plan, on developing industry delivery capacity, and on having program measures available for adoption in fall 2009.

In addition, many jurisdictions are working to improve energy performance in housing. Eleven jurisdictions are collaborating by maximizing the benefit to Canadians of undertaking an energy-saving retrofit. In addition, several provinces are requiring builders to meet certain equivalent standards of the EnerGuide Rating System for houses so that all new houses built in these provinces after a specified date will meet minimum performance levels. This is an important method of improving energy use across an entire sector.

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Transportation

Heavy trucks were identified in Moving Forward on Energy Efficiency in Canada as an area with high potential for energy efficiency improvements. Energy use by heavy trucks in Canada grew by 145% between 1990 and 2005, and accounts for 5% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Representatives from nine provincial, territorial and federal ministries of energy, environment and transport are working together on a comprehensive list of heavy truck technologies with potential to improve energy efficiency. From this list, four priority areas have been selected for action based on the market-readiness of the components and the existence of solid evidence of their potential to provide energy savings. These areas are tires, aerodynamics, idle reduction devices and long combination vehicles.

For each priority area, a discussion paper was developed to summarize available information on specific technologies, potential energy efficiency savings, barriers to use and uptake, and market penetration. Also included in the discussion papers were cost and payback period, research and development trends, a domestic and international jurisdictional scan of programs and policies in place, and key policy levers known to be available to government. Potential regulatory and enabling instruments (e.g. information, incentives, and best practices) are now being explored in order to realize identified savings.

1. Tires – A fuel savings of 4% - 6% may be achieved by selecting new tires with low rolling resistance tires and keeping them properly inflated. Education programs that provide information on fuel efficient tires, and tire inflation tools and techniques could help to achieve this potential savings.

2. Aerodynamics – A fuel savings of 2% - 14% may be achieved by reducing wind resistance of trucks traveling at highway speed. Aerodynamic devices mounted on trucks and trailers to improve the flow of air around trucks and trailers can help to achieve this goal. Promotion of proven aerodynamic devices and the reduction of barriers to their uptake could increase the use of aerodynamic devices in the marketplace.

3. Idle Reduction Devices – Trucks idle their engines in order to power accessory equipment during rest periods. There are many more efficient options available to provide alterative sources of heat, cooling and power. Up to 8% of fuel use may be saved by using these technologies. Programs that improve the accessibility and feasibility of these devices could help achieve these savings.

4. Long Combination Vehicles – Increasing the productivity of freight movements through the use of long combination vehicles may save up to 39% of fuel compared to standard tractor trailers. Long combination vehicles are single tractors that pull multiple trailers in one load. National guidelines for the use of long combination vehicles in Canada and harmonization of the conditions for their use across borders could improve uptake of these vehicles.

A key factor in the successful implementation of initiatives that address trucking efforts will be collaboration between Energy and Transport Ministries. This work will continue through 2009 to make possible program measures available for adoption by interested jurisdictions.

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Industry

Canadian industry, including both manufacturers and resource processors, are facing rising energy and commodity prices, a strong Canadian dollar and increasing international competition. Investments in energy efficiency offer a means to address energy prices, improve productivity and contribute to environmental goals.

From coast to coast to coast, Energy Ministers have made a collaborative effort to provide solutions and support with regard to improving industrial energy efficiency. Since the publication of Moving Forward on Energy Efficiency, federal, provincial and territorial governments have continued to work closely with industry to address key principles.

For industry to take action to improve energy efficiency, companies need to be aware of opportunities, be knowledgeable about energy efficiency measures, have access to technology and be prepared to change behavior. Incentives can also be used to encourage the implementation of energy efficiency measures. A variety of tools are available to provide assistance to industry, and new tools are being developed, as described below. Direct links are provided to existing measures available across Canada. Further, information about resources is available in the Directory of Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Programs in Canada which allows searches by location, source of assistance, type of program or keyword.

1. Awareness, Training and Technical Assistance

A crucial part of a successful energy management program is awareness of energy-saving opportunities. Tools to enhance awareness include best practices guides, sector-specific benchmarking studies, and employee awareness programs to get all employees finding every-day solutions to reduce energy waste.

Training is available in a wide variety of formats and subject areas – from technology-specific training (e.g. motors, boilers) to training on best practices (e.g. monitoring, metering and tracking) to general training on how to develop an energy management plan and motivate action to training on financing methods and opportunities.

Technical assistance is also available to help companies solve specific problems such as developing integrated solutions to reducing energy, water and materials waste across plants and sectors, and choosing the most efficient motor, conducting pre-feasibility scenarios for efficiency and renewable solutions and finding optimal combustion efficiencies.

2. Energy Management Standard

Moving Forward on Energy Efficiency identified opportunities for federal, provincial and territorial collaboration on industrial energy efficiency support tools such as the development of an energy management standard for industry.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Management Board recently accepted a proposal to develop a new ISO energy management standard. This new standard will help organizations reduce their costs and environmental footprint by combining both the technical and strategic management aspects of energy management. In addition to optimizing and verifying energy efficiency opportunities, the standard will create a verified record of energy savings and carbon emission reductions that could have internationally recognized market value.

There are many benefits to standardization for industry. The use of a recognized standard can make business more efficient and cost-effective, and in many cases can reduce the burden of regulatory compliance. It can also help expand markets by assuring new buyers that certain performance standards are met and maintained.

Canada is one of 27 countries participating in the development of an international energy management standard. With the help of the Standards Council of Canada, a Canadian Advisory Committee has been established. The Committee, which represents industry, academia, utilities and various orders of government, will ensure that the needs of industry are addressed in the ISO process. The ISO energy management standard is expected to be completed by 2012.

3. Incentives

Incentive and financial support programs help industry turn energy efficiency plans into reality. Incentives take the form of direct contributions, innovative financing methods, accelerated capital cost allowances, funding for energy management personnel, meter lending libraries and more. They range in scope from technology-specific to general grants available to different sectors and size of organization.

4. Research and Development

Technology is ever changing and continuously being developed. While many energy efficiency technologies are available off the shelf, others are being developed within research facilities across the country. Research and development helps develop and deliver knowledge- and technology-based programs for the sustainable production and use of Canada's energy supply, helps build innovation and technology capacity and supports the growth of industry. Research and development programs are available across Canada, addressing a wide spectrum of sector-specific and general use technologies.

5. Energy Management and Monitoring

Another new tool under development under the auspices of the Council of Energy Ministers’ jurisdictions is the Energy Management Information System to provide companies with the data and analysis needed to manage energy use and to meet the new ISO Standard described above. A pilot is underway in New Brunswick to test run the Information System and to determine how best to link energy information with financial and emission-saving investment decisions. An Information System measure will be available for adoption by more jurisdictions in 2009.

In addition, some utilities provide companies with access to energy consumption data, trends and technical analyses, which help companies to set energy performance improvement targets and to establish plans to effectively manage energy use.

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Information on Industry Energy Efficiency

Federal

1. Directory of Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Programs in Canada

Awareness, Training and Technical Assistance

2. Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC)

3. Dollars to $ense

4. RETScreen

5. Process Integration

6. CanMOST: The Canadian Motor Selection Tool

Energy Management Standard

For information on the development of the international Energy Management Standard, please contact:

Ron Morrison
Chair, Canadian Advisory Committee – Energy Management Standard
Treasurer of the Board, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
RCM161@AOL.com

Michael Burke
Director, Industrial Programs Division
Natural Resources Canada
mburke@NRCan.gc.ca

Incentives and Resources

7. ecoEnergy Retrofit for Industry

8. ecoEnergy Assessment Incentive for Industry

Research and Development

9. CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC)

10. National Research Council

Energy Management and Monitoring

11. Dollars to $ense Energy Monitoring

12. Energy Management Information Systems

Ontario

Quebec