Municipal Energy Manager – Town of Devon

Overview

The Town of Rocky Mountain House received $180,000 in grant proceeds to offset the salary of a municipal energy manager. An energy manager works for a municipality to develop an energy management plan, implement energy saving opportunities, and realize energy savings.

This project was funded through the Municipal Energy Manager Program. This program is administered by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre and funded by the Government of Alberta.

Results

Through the MEM Program, the Town of Devon accessed funding allowing them to hire an energy manager. Their energy manger was able to:

• assess the Town’s current energy consumption and energy management practices and identify the major energy users.
• develop an energy policy, energy team charter, and an energy management plan based on that assessment.
• identify potential low-cost and no-cost upgrades that can be easily implemented.
• complete several key energy efficiency initiatives across its municipal facilities. Major accomplishments included completing lighting retrofits at the Town Hall, Fire Hall, and Community Centre, upgrading domestic hot water systems at the GFL Twin Arena and Community Centre, and installing weatherstripping and other energy-saving measures at Town Hall.
• Launched a Community Centre Energy Audit and a Town Hall HVAC Controls Engineering Study, while securing external funding for several projects and completing the GFL Twin Arena Deep Retrofit Plan.
• Over the two-year program, 2 major energy audits were completed (with 1 in progress), 44 energy-saving projects were identified, and nine implementation projects were completed, resulting in estimated annual savings of 54,744 kWh of electricity, 476.67 GJ of natural gas, approximately $9,674 in operating costs, and 42.43 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions

Benefits

Some additional benefits of the program include:

• reducing Devon’s operating costs by lowering energy use and freeing up municipal resources for community services and infrastructure.
• improving the comfort, reliability, and long-term sustainability of municipal facilities.
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supported the Town’s climate goals.
• positioning Devon to pursue future grant funding and capital improvements, helping maintain public facilities without placing the full cost on taxpayers.
• raising public awareness through initiatives such as the Home Energy Efficiency Kits at the Devon Public Library, encouraging residents to improve energy efficiency at home.

“The MEM program has been very successful for the Town. Improvements have been seen in power usage reductions where the MEM program has been utilized. The introduction of the Home Energy Kits has been a positive and the use of the kits well received. The list of areas that have been positively impacted by the MEM program is details above but each one of the areas is appreciated for what the program provided.”

Mark Hussey, General Manager of Planning and Operations