Energy conservation refers to the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption as a means to advance sustainability, lower greenhouse gas emissions, save on utility costs and improve the built environment. While the goal to conserve energy isn’t new, pressures facing building owners to comply with higher standards have augmented considerably, as evidence grows about the impacts of fuel-burning on climate change.
Thankfully, there is far more data today—and available solutions—to support rental-housing providers as they embark on energy improvements at their buildings. But with an abundance of new technologies and best practices to choose from, confusion and hesitation may inhibit some well-intended landlords from taking proactive steps.
In other words, things aren’t as straightforward as they used to be.
Recently, Bondi Energy Corporation hosted an event to showcase some of the latest smart-tech products and shed light on incentives for multifamily building retrofits. From heat pumps for HVAC and water-heating, to integrated building control systems and products to improve distribution pipework efficiency, the event put new technology on display and answered questions about funding, policies, and Canada’s changing building landscape.
“We are on a mission to increase energy efficiency in multifamily and commercial buildings across North America,” said Belinda Gilbey, Co-Founder and President of Bondi. “Heat pumps have been proven to be the most efficient way to decarbonize buildings, while also reducing energy bills, introducing air conditioning, and improving air quality. In addition to heat pumps, we are also seeing some emerging new technologies that will greatly benefit apartment owners.”
According to Quinn McGovern, Director of Operations at Bondi, the benefits of embracing new technologies—fuel switching in particular—are impossible to ignore, especially as more buildings undergo conversion projects, bringing an influx of supporting data to the forefront.
“Electrically heated buildings generally offer a bulletproof business case for HVAC heat pump retrofits, cutting heating bills in half while adding building-wide air-conditioning,” he said. “Fuel-switching the gas-heated building stock to use electricity is our next major priority. We have carefully analysed business cases for gas-heated multi-res buildings, which make up the vast majority of MURB building stock, and today we are focused on showcasing that data from research and from the field. I believe we can make a real difference supporting building owners with technology for improving their building stock and reducing GHG emissions.”
Of course, every retrofit requires a financial investment, and substantial upgrades can be costly. Bondi recently launched a unique financial product available to property owners facing budgetary hurdles as a barrier-to-entry for many retrofit efficiency projects. Describing it as “a distinct way for owners to pay for building efficiency work while avoiding the capital expense,” McGovern said the financial product will help relieve some of the worry many property owners have about funding.
Sector-wide pursuit
Speaking about the broader impacts of climate change, Peter Love, President of Love Energy Consultants Inc., was on hand at the event to address why it is incumbent upon apartment owners to invest in energy retrofits—especially in Canada, which is recognized as one of the worst global offenders when it comes to energy consumption.
“I am a big believer in continuous improvement,” he said. “Every positive change we make contributes as we strive for decarbonization and a net zero carbon economy. Most energy efficiency upgrades are invisible, so it’s important that multi-unit building owners celebrate them. This includes telling staff, suppliers, and residents about any energy improvements that have been made across the board.”
Love breaks out energy efficiency improvements into the following six categories:
1. Conservation behaviour – creating a culture among staff and residents that prioritizes energy efficiency.
2. System operations – effectively managing, maintaining and training facility operators on current systems, including HVAC commissioning/recommissioning.
3. Fuel substitution – switching to heat pumps or other alternative power sources to reduce carbon emissions.
4. New technologies – investing in smart, new tech solutions designed to improve efficiencies at the building.
5. Demand response – curtailing or reducing demand for electricity and water at peak times.
6. Onsite generation – incorporating “behind-the-meter” systems such as solar panels to create energy.
Essentially, by taking steps across these six areas, whether the plan includes making small energy-saving adjustments or investing in a solar array, Love asserts there are many ways to advance energy conservation without resorting to leveling the building.
“Awareness is by far the biggest barrier to increased energy efficiency,” he said. “Fuel substitution, for instance, is a form of energy efficiency that has become extremely important as we strive to attain a net zero carbon economy. Heat pumps aren’t all that new, but still, not enough building owners are tapping into their amazing benefits.”
Benefits include increasing the building’s value, reducing energy costs, introducing efficient cooling where it didn’t exist before, improving tenant comfort, and lowering baseline GHG emissions by up to 60 per cent. The technology works by using electricity to transfer warm and cold air rather than generating it by burning fossil fuels.
While executing a generational change to the heating system of a 50-year-old building may sound daunting, installing the units isn’t as invasive as it seems. According to Gilbey, “Heat pump technology has advanced tremendously, with little disruption to the tenants or the building façade. It’s a low-cost way to upgrade an aging asset at a time when the multi-residential sector urgently needs to pursue decarbonization.”
Changing codes and policies
Energy savings and resident comfort aside, the state of our changing climate has greater implications. According to a recent report from the Building Decarbonization Alliance (BDA), buildings directly account for around 13 per cent of our annual greenhouse gas emissions yet change across the sector is happening far too slowly to meet Canada’s 2030 and 2050 emissions targets.
“The status quo is clearly not working,” BDA analysts wrote. “Heat pump sales in the next three years will need to more than double current projections to meet Canada’s climate goals.”
But to get there, Love acknowledges building owners need more clarity and support in terms of available programs and funding to incentivize fuel switching.
“With past programs, there has been a tendency from the utilities to make forms more complicated than they need to be, coupled with policies and regulations that just aren’t clear,” he said. “There needs to be better messaging, better programs, and a simpler way for building owners to move forward.”
Meanwhile, building codes are changing to raise the minimum standards of existing buildings, and not just to ensure new buildings are constructed with lower emissions from the ground up. Owners of older apartment assets need to ramp up their energy strategies and invest in decarbonization if they want to stay afloat.
For more information on energy conservation strategies for multi-unit buildings, visit the BONDI Energy website.
