Successful integrated energy management involves detailed planning to make sure your municipality meets its regulatory requirements while maximizing the payback on energy efficiency and generation projects. LAS Energy Services Division staff routinely updates the following tools to help you do just that.  Please make use of the resources contained on this page and let us know about any new ones you think we should add.  

AMO/LAS Energy Workshop Materials

• Workshop Materials

Billing

• How to Understand Your Bill - A breakdown of a common electricity bill provided by Hydro One
• Access to Information - Union Gas My Account Tool

Cash Flow Analysis Spreadsheet

• Simple excel sheet enables user to construct simple life cycle cost analysis for an energy project of their choice.

Case Studies

Combined Heat and Power Resources Combined heat and power (CHP or cogeneration) systems produce both electricity and useful heat using a combustible fuel. The recovered "waste" heat from the power generation can be provided to a heating and/or cooling load (e.g. via an absorption chiller). This link contains the RETScreen Software Combined Heat & Power (Cogeneration) Model that can be used to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for central-grid, isolated-grid and off-grid cogeneration (CHP) projects.

Directory of Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Programs in Canada  This engine can search for all government and utility run programs by sector in Ontario or any other province.  

Energy Planning

• Energy Planning Matrix

  • LAS Energy Planning Tool (EPT)  The Energy Planning Tool (EPT) is designed to help municipalities develop, store, and update their energy plans as required under the Green Energy Act. The EPT is compatible with the Energy Management Tool (EMT) and other ongoing energy management applications. Municipalities will be able to access the EPT from an individually tailored and secure website for a very minimal annual hosting fee (approximately $200).
• Natural Resources Canada Introduction to an Energy Plan
• Self-Assessment Matrices A series of matrices from Natural Resources Canada to support and guide planning for investment in energy-saving opportunities.

Energy Savings Opportunities Guidebook  (Natural Resources Canada) A Start to Finish guide about spotting energy efficiency opportunities including simple methods for identifying savings opportunities, along with a checklist of opportunities.  A criteria is provided for the assessment of the benefits associated with a savings opportunity.

ENERGY STAR® Savings Calculator

• The Canadian ENERGY STAR Simple Savings Calculator is an interactive software tool designed to show volume buyers or procurement officials the direct economic and environmental benefits of purchasing an energy-efficient product. It can compare the costs of purchasing multiple energy-efficient products with those of conventional product. Using local utility rates, projected savings can be calculated from reduced energy consumption and maintenance costs.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star @ work - Find out how you can save energy and fight global warming by making many of the same green choices at work that you make at home.

Federal Buildings Initiative Audit Standards Guidelines The report summarizes energy audits by levels: namely yardstick, screening, walkthrough and engineering. A description of each is provided along with sample terms of reference for requesting an audit, sample forms and graphs, approximate costs and time to completion. The report also summarizes the auditing requirements for Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) Federal Buildings Initiative (FBI), specifically for energy performance contracting. The report may be taken as a guideline document for energy auditing with NRCan’s FBI and Energy Innovators programs.

Financing Materials Guide This straightforward guidebook walks the user through the pros and cons of contracting versus doing a program yourself with brief discussion of financing options that include self-financing, loans, energy performance contracts.

Green Energy Act This Act designates certain goods, service and technologies for energy conservation and contains the requirement for energy plans for municipalities and the broader public sector.

Hiring an Energy Auditor

• An energy audit, also called a feasibility study or technical assistance report, is often necessary to identify technically viable and cost effective energy projects that will reduce energy use and operating costs in your facility. The following manuals are meant of offer tips on what to look for in selecting an auditor and developing contracts. LAS encourages capacity building at the local level so while we realize some municipalities will hire Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) we advise them to very carefully develop a contract that not only includes verification and performance measures but also knowledge transfer to local staff.
  • The Californian Energy Commission’s How to Hire an Energy Auditor to Identify Energy Efficiency Projects
  • HRAI Energy Efficiency Contractors Network

Local Improvement Charges  AMO and LAS supports enabling municipalities to utilize local improvement charges (LICS) to incent renewable and energy efficient work in the residential, institutional, and commercial sectors within a boundary defined by the interested municipality. The following research reports examine the current possibilities of using LICs and how to get around existing barriers.

• Property Assessed Payment for Energy Retrofits - Sonja Persram, David Suzuki Foundation.

Municipal Building Retrofit Program

• FCM MBRP
• MBRP Materials

Marketing Your Facility Department  Promoting the achievements of facility staff is crucial to obtaining lasting success within the municipality. This article from the November 2009 edition of Buildings magazine has some great tips for promoting the good work of facility managers to senior management.

Municipal Lighting

• Lighting: HID Versus Fluorescent for High-Bay Lighting  and High/Low-Bay Applications: Fluorescent or Metal Halide?  The new fluorescent fixtures designed for high-bay applications have seven advantages over similar HID fixtures: lower energy consumption, lower lumen depreciation rates, better dimming options, faster start-up and restrike, better color rendition, more pupil lumens, and reduced glare.
• Lighting Design Lab - Information and resources related to facility and outdoor lighting options for municipalities

• Municipal policy options guide for accelerating deployment of advanced lighting technologies produced by the Canadian Urban Institute. The guide outlines a number of policy options for cities including: planning tools for requiring energy efficient outdoor lighting as part of new developments or redevelopments; regulatory reforms to permit the use of adaptive lighting controls; and strategies to finance the high up-front capital costs of advanced lighting upgrades.

Municipal Recycling Facilities (MRF) Energy Audits

• The following Audits were funded by the Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF) http://www.wdo.ca/cif/index.htm
  • City of Guelph MRF
  • Northumberland County MRF
  • Ottawa Valley MRF

Natural Resources Canada’s Search for a Contractor Directory

Natural Resources Canada Technical Fact Sheets The Office of Energy Efficiency has produced a number of helpful fact sheets as part of the Energy Innovators Initiative. These double-sided 8.5 x 11 sheets provide specifications on a range of technologies including HVAC systems, lighting, motors, and digital controls to name a few.

• Download the fact sheets:

Newsletters

• Heads Up Energy Efficiency - an electronic newsletter from Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE).

Online Conversion Tool  Enables users to convert any unit of energy in seconds.

Recommissioning Tool The Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE)'s Building Optimization Processes webpage provides a step-by-step chart of the various phases and activities of commissioning and recommissioning. The  tool also provides a glossary of terms for these and other building optimization approaches.

Recommissioning Guide  This Recommissioning Guide for Building Owners and Managers illustrates how building owners and managers can successfully use recommissioning as a cost-effective method to reduce expenses and increase revenue. This guide was created to address the opportunities that owners and managers have to significantly increase the benefits of recommissioning in their buildings.

RETScreen International This free software can be used to evaluate the energy production and savings, life-cycle costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (RETs). It also includes product, cost and climate databases, and a detailed online user manual.Available free-of-charge in English and French plus several other languages.

Self-Assessment Matrix  The assessment process of your organization or facility can be simplified by using matrices focused on Energy Management, Technical Capacity,  Monitoring and Targeting, plus Awareness and Information. After completing the high-level assessment, detailed matrices provide further assistance in assessing the energy performance of a specific system or piece of equipment including Air-Conditioning Systems, Small Power Equipment, Lighting, Hot Water, Building Energy Management Systems, Building Fabric, Boilers, plus Space Heating.

Solar Resources

• CanSIA Solar Energy 101 Overview of solar electric, water, and air systems.
• Natural Resources Canada Renewables Includes solar Maps for all of Canada plus wide range of other resources for solar, wind, and geothermal.
• US Department of Energy’s Solar Technologies Program Fact sheets, community guides, and many more resources available.

Streetlights

• AMO’s response to the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) Review of Electricity Distributors Cost Allocation Policy (Board File EB-2010-0219) plus recommendations for some local cost avoidance measures on streetlight rates.
• Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) LightSavers Program. TAF is working with municipalities across the GTA to increase awareness and use of advanced outdoor lighting systems and controls.
• Solid State Lighting Network. The network will be devoted to the advancement of Solid State Lighting in Canada, bringing together researchers, industries, end-users and agencies, and foster constant dialogues, knowledge sharing and facilitate collaborative projects between its members.
• Illuminating Engineering Society. The IES seeks to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public. Website contains number of key guidelines used for lighting and streelighting.

Sustainable Communities Toolkit  In 2006, the Canadian Green Building Council developed the Municipal Green Building Toolkit to help the broader network of public sector owners understand how they too can address climate change and infrastructure challenges through the development of green building policies and programs. This revised 248 page Sustainable Communities Toolkit, like its predecessor, is a work in progress. The resource reflects the transition currently underway in the green building community; broadening thinking from a building scale to a community scale.

Water/ Wastewater Retrofit RFP Resource Although water and wastewater treatment facilities provide an invaluable service to their communities, they are also the largest energy consumers in many cities and towns.The Energy Efficiency RFP Guidance provides information and tools to help cities and towns gain access to the energy savings potential in their water and wastewater treatment facilities. It includes ready-to-use language to request consideration of measures including high speed blowers, sensors and process controls, variable frequency drives, nutrient removal processes, and more.