For more information contact:
bbp@toronto.ca
(416) 392-1500

Please visit  http://www.toronto.ca/water/protecting_quality/downspout.htm to see if your building must comply with the by-law.

Toronto Catholic District School Board
80 Sheppard Avenue East
Toronto, ON M2N 6E8

Key Contact

Mary Walker,
Communications Supervisor

Main Building Contacts:
Rose MacDonald, Supervisor
TCDSB Central Services

Project Background

Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) governs 208 schools in the Toronto area including 30 secondary and 178 elementary schools. In total there are 15,365 full-time equivalent teachers and 94,936 students enrolled in TCDSB schools.

TCDSB wanted to reduce operating costs and become a more energy efficient school board by making environmental changes in various schools. And with many of the schools dating back to the 1950’s, many of the existing technologies and infrastructures were old and out of date.

In 2007, a lighting audit was conducted by ALD Architectural Lighting Design who designed an implementation plan to upgrade the existing lighting. TCDSB reached out to the City of Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership to access information and resources to support their energy efficient lighting retrofits.

Challenges

With all schools fully operational, TCDSB wanted to ensure students’ schedules and environments were not disturbed. With these challenges in mind, TCDSB sought to reduce the carbon footprint of its combined campuses and minimize energy operating costs by upgrading their lighting systems.

“By working together with the BBP to upgrade parts of our lighting systems in multiple schools and portables, we expect to see savings of about 25% annually, lowering the payback period to just 3.5 years.” Rose MacDonald, Supervisor TCDSB Central Services

Solution

Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership was involved in supporting the TCDSB to access the energy savings incentives that the program offers, enabling the school board to do more with its budget and improve the lighting in more schools. The existing lighting consisted of T12 linear fluorescents, incandescent and halogen lamps. The aim of the retrofit plan was to upgrade to an energy efficient lighting system including T8 linear fluorescents lamps complete with electronic ballasts, compact fluorescents and high pressure sodium lighting. The projects implemented include:

• Replacement of T12 with T8, and incandescent with CFL in seven schools
• Replacement of T12 with T8 in one school and 139 portable classrooms
• Replacement of T12 with T8, incandescent with CFL, and Halogen with HPS in one additional school

“By working together with the BBP to upgrade parts of our lighting systems in multiple schools and portables, we expect to see savings of about 25% annually, lowering he payback period to just 3.5 years”, said Rose MacDonald, Supervisor, TCDSB Central Services. “Not to mention, we’ve reduced our environmental footprint by 750,000Kg of CO2 annually – equivalent to taking 150 cars off the road.”

Results

The energy efficient upgrades to 264,536 Sqft of TCDSB facilities resulted in 84,535 kWh of annual electricity savings and an annual greenhouse gas savings of 562,323 kg of CO2. These reductions are expected to provide an annual cost savings of $58,453 with a payback period of 3.86 years. These savings were accomplished with the support of a $68,927.00 incentive payment from the Better Buildings Partnership.

All measures were accomplished without any disruption to classes by ensuring all work was conducted in the evenings.

Project Snapshot

• Project cost:$294,500
• Annual electricity savings:584,535 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$58,453
• Annual CO2 savings:562,323 kg of CO2
• BBP Incentives received:$68,927

About the City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.

For more information please contact:

Better Buildings Partnership
Tel: 416-392-1500
bbp@toronto.ca

Click here to download this case study in a PDF format

Tyndale University College & Seminary
25 Ballyconnor Court
Toronto, ON M2M 4B3

Key Contact

Scott Rough
Manager Campus Operations

Project Background

Tyndale University College & Seminary is a trans-denominational, evangelical university college offering certificates and bachelor’s degrees in humanities, social sciences and business; while the seminary offers master’s and doctoral degrees in divinity and theology. With much of the campus comprising of older buildings built in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Tyndale wanted to reduce operation costs and become a more energy efficient campus.

After a lighting audit was conducted by Trace Electric, it was clear that there were opportunities for improvement. Tyndale College contacted the City of Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership to access information and resources for their lighting retrofit projects.

Challenges

Tyndale College sought to undertake projects to reduce the carbon footprint of its buildings and minimize energy operating costs by upgrading their outdated lighting system without disrupting classes and student life.

Solution

The Better Buildings Partnership played an important role in helping Tyndale University College access energy savings incentives, enabling it to do more with its budget. The existing lighting consisted of T12 linear fluorescents, incandescent and metal halide lamps. The College’s plan included switching to an energy efficient lighting system including T8 linear fluorescents lamps complete with electronic ballasts, compact fluorescents and LED exit signs. The project implemented include:

• Gymnasium lighting upgrade – light retrofit: metal halide to T8 Fluorescent High Bay Lighting
• Lighting upgrade – light retrofit: T12 Fluorescent, incandescent to T8 Fluorescent, Compact lorescent , LED Exit Signs

“The upgrades that we implemented to our lighting system are expected to deliver a savings of about 34% annually, lowering the payback period to just 5.63 years”, said Scott Rough, Manager of Campus Operations at Tyndale College.” Not to mention, we’ve reduced our environmental footprint by about 185,884 kg of CO2 annually – that’s the equivalent of taking 41 cars off the road. These projects were made possible with the help of the Better Buildings Partnership.”

Results

The energy efficient upgrades to Tyndale University College facilities resulted in 213,214 kWh of annual electricity savings and an annual greenhouse gas savings of 205112 kg of CO2. These reductions provide an annual cost savings of $21,321. The payback period of 5.63 years was accomplished with the support of a $36,592.00 incentive received from the Better Buildings Partnership.

“The upgrades that we implemented to our lighting system are expected to deliver a savings of about 34% annually, lowering the payback period to just 5.63 years.” Scott Rough, Manager of Campus Operations at Tyndale College.

Project Snapshot

• Project cost:$156,628
• Annual electricity savings:213,214 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$21,321
• Annual CO2 savings:205,112 kg of CO2
• BBP Incentives received:$46,592

Project results have been verified by a third party project evaluator according to industry references and the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

About the City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.

For more information please contact:

Better Buildings Partnership
Tel: 416-392-1500
bbp@toronto.ca

Click here to download this case study in a PDF format

For financial incentives that the BBP partners with the OPA please note the following project completion deadlines as mandated by OPA program requirements:

• New Construction Projects: Building permits must be issued not later than December 31,2010, and projects must be completed not later than December 1,2012.
• Existing Buildings Projects in the Municipal, Academic, Social and Healthcare sectors  must be completed not later than  December 31,2010.
• Multi-Family Residential Buildings Projects: other than Space Cooling Projects must be completed and in service by December 31, 2010.
• Multi-Family Residential Buildings Space Cooling Projects must be completed and in service by April 30, 2011.

For further information please call 416-392-1500 or email us at bbp@toronto.ca.

The bottom line..…..act now, save now.

Victoria University (main building)
91 Charles Street West
Toronto, ON       

Key Contacts

David Prediger,
Manager of Maintenance and Grounds 

Project Background

Victoria University was founded in 1836, and in 1890 federated with the  University of Toronto. In 1892, Victoria University moved from Cobourg to its  current campus in Toronto. Victoria University is home to approximately 3,500  undergraduate students. The campus consists of 14 buildings, some dating  back to the 19th century, with the most recent building completed in 2001.      

Challenges

Due to the age of most of the buildings, inefficiencies were growing and Victoria University was looking for ways to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings and reduce energy costs.

“Incentives from the BBP will enable the university to plan and implement valuable projects which would not have been possible before this program was available”, David Prediger, Manager of Maintenance and Grounds, Victoria University.  

Solution and Results

A detailed energy audit was conducted on all 14 buildings, which will result in a major lighting retrofit project for the Victoria University campus. The project includes retrofitting existing T12 Linear Fluorescent fixtures with 25 Watt T8 Linear florescent lamps and electronic ballasts, replacing 32 Watt T8 linear fluorescents fixtures with 25 Watt T8 Linear fluorescent lamps and replacing metal halide fixtures with induction lamp fixtures. The university will also install motion sensors in classrooms, washrooms, garbage chute rooms and in some common areas.

The retrofits will assist in reducing energy consumption and expenses. The new lights will be brighter and more efficient than the old lights; and greatly enhance the aesthetics of the buildings and rooms.

“Incentives from the BBP will enable the university to plan and implement valuable projects which would not have been possible before this program was available,” said David Prediger, Manager of Maintenance and Grounds, Victoria University. “The university appreciates all of the services offered by the BBP and has found them to be a valuable resource in our attempts to reduce our energy consumption.”

The university is currently in the process of implementing some lighting retrofits as well as completing new heating and cooling systems which incorporate variable drives for pumps and air handling units.

Project Snapshot

• Project cost:$529,935
• Annual electricity savings: 876,533 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$87,653
• Annual CO2 savings:843 tonnes CO2
• BBP Incentives :$ 70,981.35 (estimated)

About the City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.  

For more information please contact:

Better Buildings Partnership
Tel: 416-392-1500
bbp@toronto.ca
toronto.ca/bbp

Click here to download this case study in a PDF format

Saint-Jean-De-Lalande School
500 Sandhurst Circle
Scarborough, ON M1S 3Y7      

Key Contacts

Bjarne Pedersen,
Project consultant/engineer 
ALD Architectural Lighting Design     

Project Background

Saint-Jean-De-Lalande, built in 1973, is a three storey elementary school, with a student population of 116 students. The school is part of the Roman Catholic separate French language school board for the south-central region of Ontario(CSDCCS). The school board is made up of 41 elementary and eight secondary schools.      

Challenges

Many of the school’s buildings are aging and becoming increasingly inefficient. The school board began to look for ways to increase the school’s energy efficiency to reduce energy costs. Motivated by incentives from the BBP program, the chool board undertook an energy efficiency project at Saint-Jean-De-Lalande elementary school.    

“The school board is very satisfied with the lighting project completed at Saint-Jean-de-Lalande. This retrofit improved the school’s energy consumption and the quality of learning in the classrooms. The incentives from BBP for this project were very helpful and the school board is now motivated to undertake additional projects with BBP in the future.”  Nzola Mbaki, Services and Planning Administrator, CSDCCS.

Solution and Results

ALD Architectural Lighting Design conducted a lighting audit, and based on the audit results developed a plan to retrofit the school’s current lighting system. T12 Linear Fluorescent, Incandescent and Metal Halide lamps were retrofitted to a more energy efficient lighting system, including T8 Linear lamps, High Bay T5 Linear lamps and Compact Fluorescent lamps, all complete with electronic ballasts. The retrofit helped to improve the school’s energy consumption, and created a safer and better quality learning environment. In the future, Saint-Jean-De-Lalande plans to install variable frequency drives, photocell lighting and lighting sensors, with the help of BBP incentives.    

Project Snapshot

• Project cost:$134,319
• Annual electricity savings: 46,008 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$46,00
• Annual CO2 savings:44,260 tonnes CO2
• BBP Incentives received:$ 6,652

About the City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.  

For more information please contact:

Better Buildings Partnership
Tel: 416-392-1500
bbp@toronto.ca
toronto.ca/bbp

Click here to download this case study in a PDF format

Broadway Condominiums
153 and 155 Beecroft Ave.,
Toronto

Key Contact

David Blois,
Senior Property Manager

Project Background

Constructed in 2004, Broadway Condominiums is a 750,000 square foot high rise residential condo complex that consists of two buildings: Broadway One and Broadway Two.

Following energy audits conducted in January 2008, Broadway Condominiums observed several opportunities for energy efficient improvements to its buildings that would result in substantial cost savings and, ultimately enhance the homes of the hundreds of residents they serve. Broadway Condominiums acted on the opportunity to make energy efficiency improvements to its ventilation system.

Challenges

Several complaints from residents about too much airflow from fresh air vents in common hallways and very high gas and electrical bills prompted questions about the operational efficiency of the complex. Operational costs, the buildings’ efficiency, maintenance costs, and environmental sensitivities motivated the condo corporation to undergo energy efficiency improvements.

Based on the number of residents (nearly 2,000) and number of suites in the complex (656), the existing ventilation system was oversized and using more energy than necessary. By considering the three make-up air (MUA) units in the complex – the upper units on the rooftops of each building and the lower unit in the shared parking garage – the amount of delivered air could be reduced, ultimately reducing operational costs. Also, the expected costs to maintain the ventilation system in the shared underground garage were looming.

Solution and Results

Broadway Condominiums teamed up with the City of Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) to evaluate the incentives available to offset the costs for their energy conservation efforts for the complex. The MUA unit in the shared underground parking garage and both buildings’ rooftop MUA units have been modified by installing Variable Frequency Drives which reduce the amount of total delivered air, and therefore reducing the amount of energy used to ventilate the buildings. The energy efficiency ventilation retrofits produced a savings of 304,307 kWh in electricity annually. As a result, Broadway Condominiums was awarded over $21,000 in BBP incentives for the successful  ompletion of these three energy efficiency ventilation retrofits.

“The approximate two year projected payback period for lighting retrofits and variable frequency drive installations at this large residential condominium site should have resulted in early approvals, but the very substantial incentives available through the Better Building Partnership solidified the Board’s environmental and fiscal resolve to move forward. The contractors for the projects assisted greatly with the preparation and  ubmission of the incentive documentation and I was extremely impressed with how efficiently and quickly the applications were then looked after by the Better Building Partnership staff.”
David Blois, Sr. Property Manager, Wilson Blanchard Management Inc.

Project Snapshot

Broadway One
(153 Beecroft Ave.)

• Project cost:$39,700.51
• Annual electricity savings:150,195 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$15,019.50
• Annual CO2 savings:144.49 tonnes CO2
• BBP Incentives received:$ 10,513.66

Broadway Two
(155 Beecroft Ave.)

• Project cost: $35,730.46
• Annual electricity savings:154,112 kWh
• Annual cost savings:$15,411.20
• Annual CO2 savings:148.26 tonnes CO2
• BBP Incentives received:$ 10,787.85

About the City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and livability for all its residents.

For more information please contact:

Better Buildings Partnership
Tel: 416-392-1500
bbp@toronto.ca

Click here to download this case study in a PDF format

Location: Toronto Board of Trade.