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Electrical room at the Surrey Memorial Hospital Critical Care Tower. 52 | A PR IL 2016 Electrical & Communication Systems and can also be used towards LEED certification and to apply for FortisBC capital incentives. The Abbotsford Senior Secondary School is one project that is benefitting from the program. As a result of the recommendations made by BC Hydro, it is 33 per cent more energy efficient than it might oth- erwise have been. The one-million-square-foot TELUS Garden in downtown Vancouver, considered to be among North America's most ambitious LEED Platinum buildings that features a 24-storey office building and a 53-storey res- idential building, is another example of a project that achieved its energy efficiency as a result of support from BC Hydro's Commercial New Construction Program. A study by Cobalt Engineering (now Integral Group) provided a detailed simulation of how the two build- ings will perform hour-by-hour, day or night, over a year, depending on which energy source is used and what energy-savings systems are installed. Some of the key energy savings measures include energy-effi- cient LED lighting and advanced lighting controls. TELUS estimates that, collectively, the TELUS Garden energy-conservation measures will result in a devel- opment that uses about 80 per cent less energy than conventional buildings. As part of the program, BC Hydro will also pro- vide up to $1,000 for new construction or major ret- rofit projects to create an efficient lighting design that exceeds applicable building code (ASHR AE/IESNA 90.1) by at least 10 per cent, and that can save at least 10,000 kWh per year. In fact, in every realm you now come across incen- tives or electrical-system upgrades. Case in point: the new solutions cleverly designed and implemented in a recent renovation at a B.C. health care facility. In the construction of Surrey Memorial Hospital's new Critical Care Tower, Fraser Health Authority and contractor EllisDon called on Burnaby, B.C.- headquartered electrical contractor Houle Electric to design and install the electrical systems for the institu- tion's new addition. The project would see Houle install the electrical infrastructure along with integrating nurse-call, access-control and other low-voltage com- munications and lighting systems. But scheduling was a particularly difficult challenge. Houle had to connect the new infrastructure to the hospital's existing sys- tems without disruption. To facilitate that work, Houle built its own off-site warehouse for storage of major materials. This allowed the company to inspect, sort and package materi- als according to which areas of the job site they were destined to go. The warehouse also enabled Houle to make deliveries at any time without affecting traffic and other aspects of the hospital's regular business. Along with the warehouse, Houle built its own wire- less computer network so the company's foremen would be able to use laptop PCs and tablets to exchange information and stay abreast of the latest construction drawings in real time. The results of these forward- thinking processes were significant. All materials arrived on site on time, which meant Houle had no trouble following the construction schedule. Houle was able to get ahead of schedule. The work was com- pleted a month before the deadline. In fact it has been busy for Houle whose team has been working on developing complete electrical sys- tems for PARQ Vancouver urban resort and casino, Comox Valley Hospital in Courtenay, Tsawwassen Mills Mall, Segal Family Health Centre in Vancouver and Emily Carr Great Northern Way Campus. Houle's prescient processes stand as just one exam- ple of smart planning within and from Canada's electri- cal contract, engineering and communications firms. These companies know how to tackle a challenge, and they know the score. Witness how Nemetz and Williams Engineering Canada recognize the broader trends about property development. No wonder some of these businesses have fostered success for the long term – Houle Electric was founded in 1944; Nemetz got its start in 1950. Their continued capability – along- side massive modernization projects and incentives – should help architects, contractors and others in the construction field build smart for both the short and the long term. A PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY HOULE ELECTRIC Ampco Grafix.indd 1 16-03-17 9:42 AM

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