BOMA Quebec has announced the launch of a competition aimed at reducing the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the province’s commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings.
The Building Energy Challenge (BEC) is intended for owners, commercial property managers and tenants looking to implement responsible management practices to improve their energy performance in a sustainable manner.
“The Building Energy Challenge is a unique collaboration opportunity between governments, municipalities, building owners and managers, their tenants and their users to reduce the environmental impact of buildings across the province,” said Bruno Turcotte, President, BOMA Quebec. “We’re convinced that it will make a tangible contribution to reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions in the commercial real estate sector and will support the achievement of the targets set in this regard by the governments of Quebec and Canada.”
If 15% of buildings in Quebec’s commercial/institutional sector were to reduce their energy consumption by 10%, this would represent a decrease of approximately 2.45 million gigajoules (GJ) of energy and 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year, or approximately 12,000 fewer cars on the roads. The BEC is therefore targeting a 10% reduction in energy consumption over four years and aims to include some 100 buildings in the first year.
“In addition to rallying as many property managers as possible, we are creating a platform for sharing current best practices in commercial building energy efficiency. We are delighted to see our members’ enthusiastic response to the launch of this initiative and we are very pleased to be able to count on the support of key partners such as Ville de Montréal, Transition énergétique Quebec, Hydro-Quebec, Énergir and Natural Resources Canada, who share our vision and our commitment to getting the industry to reduce its environmental footprint,” Turcotte concluded.
The BEC builds on other successful challenges under way in other major cities, such as BOMA Toronto’s and Manitoba’s RACE 2 REDUCE. The BOMA Quebec project takes into account the Quebec context and the specific objectives of the Government of Quebec’s 2030 Energy Policy, which aims at improving energy efficiency by 5% and reducing petroleum product consumption by 40%. The Ville de Montréal is also targeting a GHG reduction in its 2016–2020 sustainable development plan.
The initiative’s launch took place on Wednesday at the Maison du développement durable with representatives of founding partner Ville de Montréal, major partners Transition énergétique Quebec (TEQ), Hydro-Quebec and Énergir, and collaborating partner Natural Resources Canada in attendance.
“More than ever, sustainable development is inextricably linked to responsible consumption. To continue its progress as a city that is both green and prosperous, Montréal must meet its commitments in terms of energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Robert Beaudry, Ville de Montréal executive committee member. “Our 2018–2022 economic development strategy places strong emphasis on the emergence of innovative sectors. By launching a friendly challenge for owners and tenants of commercial and institutional buildings, the hope is that they will improve their energy efficiency.”
