CONSERVATION AND DEMAND MANAGEMENT (CDM)

Municipalities use an enormous amount of electricity to provide basic services. The following findings from a study LAS produced with support from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) called Ontario Municipalities Electricity Profile: Municipal Readiness Survey highlights the significance of the sector:

• Total costs of over $680 million for electricity and $275 million for natural gas per year
• Total electricity consumption of over 6.6 billion kwh per year (more than the any other industrial sector save Pulp & Paper)
• Municipalities have approximately 26,000 electricity accounts

The municipal sector has a very material electricity spend and is capable of making meaningful contribution to Provincial targets such as the 6,300 MW goal for total peak demand reduction by 2025 as set out in the OPA’s Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP).  Ontario’s municipal sector can make a meaningful contribution to the Province’s greenhouse gas and electricity demand reduction targets if critical barriers are addressed.  LAS is hoping to overcome these barriers by functioning as a catalyst for municipalities to develop local capacity to manage their energy consumption and to also provide energy management services for those lacking such capacity.

Conservation Behaviour
   
Everyone in Ontario can play an important role in conservation. Deciding to turnoff lights and turn down air conditioners, shutting off unused equipment and avoiding standby power losses by using power bars, investing in more energy-efficient equipment, are all parts of the solution. Energy Conservation actions may involve improved efficiency, reduced waste or lower consumption, and may be implemented through new or modified equipment or behavioural changes.
 
Recognizing the diversity of Ontario municipalities, AMO-LAS continues to develop a range of tools for those interested in developing Energy Plans, pursuing a single retrofit or green procurement policy, merely complying with regulations, or anything in between.
  
The first tool we developed was the Making the Most of Energy. A Top 10 Guide to Energy Savings distributed to all municipalities in early 2007.  Please email the Energy Services Division to receive additional hard copies of this booklet.
 
LAS Energy Management Tool allows Ontario municipalities to take control of their energy costs by benchmarking facility performance, measuring and verifying savings from energy conservation projects, monitoring processes, and by enabling environmental stewardship goals including greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Municipalities with interval meters will also be able to utilize the software to accurately manage accounts in real-time. 

LAS has also developed the Energy Planning Tool (EPT) to enable municipalities to produce plans and reports in compliance with the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plans Regulation (397/11) under the Green Energy Act.

For more information please contact: Scott Vokey, LAS Energy Services Coordinator, 416 971-9856 | 877 426-6527 ext. 357 | SVokey@amo.on.ca