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44 | FEBRUA RY 2017 Energy Management who wanted their staff in Alberta to take part, so they went ahead with the training without the incentive as they are out of province. Two organizations got together and held a session. We were surprised and very pleased." For the IESO, it's not just about training, but about providing ongoing support. The IESO's Energy Manager Program and Multi-Site Customer Energy Manager Program, which provide up-front payment annually upon hiring an energy manager, have been particularly successful. To date there are around 100 energy man- agers in the province. Looking ahead, Edwards says he is excited by the goals outlined in the Ontario Legislature's Energy Law Statute Amendment Act (Bill 135), which entails long-term energy planning and conservation, as well as the IESO's Energy Performance Program, which was started in December and is a holistic approach to energy management savings. "This is the next level for those consumers who want to take the next step in energy management. The model is based on an incen- tive no matter how that energy is reduced. A baseline is established, we revisit the site and pay out at the end of the year depending on how much energy is saved." Over on the West Coast, FortisBC has also been actively promoting energy management with a par- ticular focus on the role of the energy manager. The Sustainable Energy Management Advanced Certificate (SEMAC) program – a partnership between BC Hydro, FortisBC and BCIT, with initial funding sup- port from the Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency – is a program designed to support employment opportunities in the emerging field of sustainable energy management, with focus on the energy demands of commercial, institutional, indus- trial and community facilities. And like WSP, Williams and IESO, FortisBC has placed increasing emphasis on energy management in building retrofits. "More than 80 percent of B.C.'s rental apartment buildings are older than 35 years and may not be as energy efficient as they could be. With a few simple changes to your building, you can save money, energy and water," says FortisBC in a press release. As part of the Rental Apartment Efficiency Program, par- ticipants receive a building energy assessment to iden- tify energy-efficiency improvements and upgrades and ongoing professional assistance to guide them through the process of making larger energy upgrades. "During the building energy assessment, our engi- neering consultants will identify additional no- and low-cost energy-saving improvements, as well as opportunities to save through our rebate programs for upgrading to high-efficiency space and water heating systems," says FortisBC. BC Hydro has always been one step ahead when it comes to energy management and also offers a wide range of conservation programs for residential, com- mercial and industrial customers to help keep energy costs low and promote the advantages that come with energy management. As evidence of increasing interest in this area, BC Hydro's New Construction program has been very successful. "Thanks to the strong interest we received from developers throughout B.C., we have reached pro- gram targets for fiscal 2017," explains Kevin Aquino, media relations and issues management. "Since 2007, the program has produced energy savings of 116 gigawatt hours annually – that's enough to power more than 10,000 homes in B.C. a year." Within the New Construction program there has been an increase in the information available for both the utility and customers. More communication tools and technologies are also available to help customers make smart energy choices. These tools include smart metering infrastructure, building management systems such as energy dash- boards, energy management information systems and energy performance reporting. To help customers make good energy management choices, the program will educate and embed control and data communica- tion systems in the early design phase, which enables customers to leverage energy information tools after the building is complete. BC Hydro has long been a strong proponent for reduc- ing the energy of the existing building stock. Up until March 31, 2017, Energy Study funding is still available to key account customers with BC Hydro-funded energy managers, after which the funding will be available to key account customers with a BC Hydro-funded Energy Manager involved with strategic energy management. Providing customers with the support necessary to better understand energy management has also been at the core of BC Hydro's energy savings strategies. Under its Continuous Optimization program, which is a partnership with FortisBC, participants are pro- vided with funding for 100 percent of the cost for a re- commissioning consultant to study their building and recommend energy efficiency improvements, provide training of the building operators and conduct follow- up coaching sessions. A Vipond.indd 1 17-01-20 4:03 PM

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