Energy-efficiency measures recommended by Powell River Sustainability Buildings Subcommittee at last week’s City of Powell River finance committee meeting would translate into notable savings, according to subcommittee member Ana Lukyanova.
Lukyanova presented the group’s findings and said it looked at data from a 2014 energy audit report to determine the simplest, most cost-effective measures and suggested the city implements them first.
“We reviewed it and picked out the most actionable, easiest recommendations,” said Lukyanova.
All three suggestions feature cost-cutting measures at Powell River Recreation Complex. According to the presentation, the building accounts for 80 per cent of all greenhouse gases for city buildings and 40 per cent of the city’s corporate carbon footprint. The recreation complex has an annual electricity cost of $160,000 and an annual natural gas bill of $150,000.
“The city operates a lot of buildings, the biggest one being the rec centre, and there are substantial energy costs for running it,” said Lukyanova. “The rec centre alone costs $300,000 a year in utility costs, electricity and natural gas, and of course there’s environmental impact from that as well. It creates greenhouse gas emissions.”
The first recommendation involves replacing fluorescent bulbs with LED lighting at the recreation complex and city hall.
City councillor and finance committee chair Russell Brewer said the suggestions were well received at the meeting and that funding is already in place for some of the projects.
“There was broad support for it,” said Brewer. “We have some funding sources for some of the recommendations, so it’s just a matter of getting staff to review it.”
Replacing lights at the recreation complex has an estimated cost of $57,800, which would be offset by a $15,895 incentive from BC Hydro, dropping the price to $41,905. With an annual ongoing savings of $30,296, a return on investment would be realized in a little over a year.
Other recommendations put forward by the sustainability buildings group looked at eliminating power factor charges for the recreation complex, which would result in another $15,000 in annual hydro savings.
“There’s a really short payback period on some of these recommendations,” said Brewer. “It just makes sense to go ahead and implement some of those projects.”
The third recommendation involves installing a heat-recovery system. An energy recovery loop system installed at Campbell River’s recreation centre was used as an example. Its installation cost was $310,000 with annual savings of $60,000.
Grants and incentives are available to help offset upfront costs for this project in Powell River, according to the sustainability buildings subcommittee.
As the city grapples with budget shortfalls and recently raised the idea of making cuts at the recreation complex, Lukyanova said she believes these and other cost-cutting measures may be of help.
“By reducing the operating costs, in light of the cuts the city is needing to make in the budget,” she said, “there are opportunities to reduce those costs that would help the city going forward.”
