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46 | FEBRUA RY 2015 Energy Management sometimes, how well are you operating the equipment? Engineers and architects also need to better understand how design impacts the end-user. They need to understand the operational side. Part of the solution is the equipment being user- friendly. A step that's frequently missing in the design process involves looking at how all the systems interact with each other and how they'll operate in the most efficient manner," says Curtis Loblick, a senior project manager at Williams Engineering Canada. Much of the solution to the puzzle lies in good information channelling, Loblick says. Part of this is just ensuring that the end-user understands how the system should perform, and how, in general terms, it is supposed to work, and with what results, he says. But before that, a controls expert should be on the design team. "They understand how the right sequencing can optimize performance. Controls people look at design from a more operational viewpoint," explains Loblick. An integrated design process would typically include figuring out sequences before a shovel hits the ground. "That's a great quality control check," he adds. Good information channelling also means that designers know the goals an owner has for a building, and that owners know what operational checks are needed for preventive maintenance. It's a chilly winter's day on the prairies and the Edmonton-based engineer points to the downtown skyline in the Alberta capital. "All the buildings around me are consuming energy and you can see the energy leaving the buildings. I show clients how they can save on energy costs. Right now, we're wasting a lot of energy," says Loblick. Gary Hamer is an engineer and an energy efficiency specialist with BC Hydro. He makes a sharp rhetorical point about ROI concerns surrounding energy retrofits. "Why has nobody asked what the payback is on a quality paint job, but always on energy efficiency?" Hamer, who heads BC Hydro's Power Smart program, also had a role in the devel- opment of a 232-page document called, Pathways to High Performance Housing in British Columbia. "The most fundamental key to energy efficiency is an integrated design process," he says, agreeing with Loblick. Wireless controls that rely on a low-power communication wavelength "gener- ated by kinetic energy by pushing a switch" are one of the energy savers he refers to. Battery-operated, solar-powered motion sensors are another. He also points to EnOcean Alliance, a consortium of companies working to develop and promote self-powered wireless monitoring and control systems for sustainable buildings by formalising the interoperable wireless standard. The EnOcean Alliance has the largest installed base of field-proven wireless building automation networks in the world, according to its website. Besides B.C., some other provinces are encouraging sound energy management. "As part of the Ontario Power Authority conservation efforts, we offer a suite of saveONenergy conservation programs. The programs are delivered through local electricity utilities across Ontario and assist homeowners and businesses in manag- ing their energy use," says John Cannella, a media relations specialist at the Ontario Power Authority. EnerCare, a non-utility sub-metering company, is advocating the adoption of modulating furnaces, as these can achieve efficiencies of up to 98 per cent. They also can increase home comfort as they operate in a way so that room temperatures do not vary more than one or two degrees. A PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY WILLIAMS ENGINEERING CANADA Jasper Place Branch Library, AB.

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