CITY OF MISSISSAUGA
Integrated approach to energy management pays off

Energy efficiency is taken seriously at the City of Mississauga. In fact, it is such a high priority that automated snow sensors installed on the roofs of City-owned buildings are programmed to shut off the snow melting heating coils when skies are clear – just one example of the multi-faceted approach the City has taken to reducing its energy consumption.

“Energy conservation is an absolute priority for us, for financial and environmental reasons,” said Rajan Balchandani, Manager of Energy Management at the City of Mississauga. “We have developed some innovative approaches that are starting to pay off.”

With a background in energy conservation, Balchandani, a professional engineer, joined the City seven years ago and has played a leadership role in the development of the City’s broad-based, multi-faceted approach to energy management. Administered by the Facilities and Property Management Division, this program has six main components: energy monitoring, energy procurement, energy audits, energy conservation and efficiency initiatives, energy awareness programs, and renewable energy initiatives.

The City has invested heavily in retrofits and upgrades at City-owned buildings. From 2001 to 2007, energy efficiency measures were implemented at numerous facilities throughout the City. Some of the technologies used include energy efficient lighting and controls, infrared heaters, CO and CO2 demand ventilation controls, waste heat recovery systems, power factor improvement capacitors, rink lighting and garage lighting dimmers, automatic garage doors, rooftop snow sensors connected to heating coils, chemical-free water treatment of the cooling tower, water-free urinals, energy efficient refrigeration controls, light-emitting diode (LED) traffic lights, variable-speed drives, and block heater controls.

Price Stability
Mississauga currently buys most of its electricity on the spot market. To mitigate the price volatility inherent in the market model, the City has hedged its spending on electricity by purchasing a fixed price forward contract for differences from the spot market. The forward contract is for the portion of the price not protected by legislated price caps on heritage power generation plants of Ontario Power Generation in the form of Provincial benefit and OPG rebate. Balchandani estimates that if the City had paid the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) rate, it would have incurred an additional $2.5 million in electricity costs over the past two years alone.

Demand Reduction
Another aspect of energy-efficient operations is demand management or reduction. At present, demand reduction at the City of Mississauga is done by sending an e-mail to the operations supervisors of all major facilities with a request to reduce load that is not essential for operation during peak price periods and/or when requested by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

At this time, the facility supervisor reduces demand through a combination of computerized building automation systems and local controls. However, as part of the new corporate energy management program, Balchandani’s team proposed to standardize the building automation systems across the City’s real estate portfolio and introduce LAN-based wireless communications protocols.

While it took some time to convince the City’s IT security officers that the benefits of the technology outweighed the information security risks, work is nearly complete in four community centres, and four more are expected to come on stream in 2009. When activated, these buildings will be linked electronically to the IESO web site for automatic demand response when electricity prices are high, system reliability is compromised and/or the IESO is requesting demand reduction.

“Since the City pays spot market prices, it provides an incentive to reduce demand during peak periods,” Balchandani said. “It’s a very effective way for us to control our energy costs.”

The installation of photovoltaic panels at the City of Mississauga’s Hershey Centre could generate 25 to 30 kilowatts of electricity – generating revenue of approximately $12,500 per year.

Environmental Focus
With a need to demonstrate fiscal responsibility to Mississauga’s ratepayers, much of the City’s focus on energy management has, to date, been financially motivated. In recent months, however, Mississauga’s City Council has mandated that future investments yield measurable environmental results. The showcase project is the installation of photovoltaic panels at the Hershey Centre.

When fully operational in early 2008, the south-facing panels will be able to generate 25 to 30 kilowatts of electricity, which is equivalent to the power required to light a typical fire station for one year. This electricity will be sold to the Ontario grid, generating revenue of approximately $12,500 per year under the Ontario Power Authority’s Standard Offer Contract. The project is also expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25,800 kilograms per year for nearly 25 years. With total costs pegged at $300,000, the project is being funded jointly by the City of Mississauga and Enersource Hydro Mississauga, with each partner contributing $150,000.

Energy procurement is another focal point. Council recently approved the purchase of green power for the Civic Centre as a one-year pilot project beginning in early 2008. Although the procurement process is not yet complete, the project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4,400 tonnes – the equivalent of removing 975 cars from Mississauga streets.

Award-winning Performance
The selection of the Civic Centre for the green energy project was no accident. The high-profile facility was chosen by the Mayors’ Megawatt Challenge to receive the Most Improved Energy Performance Award in the city hall category in 2005. The Mayors’ Megawatt Challenge is a benchmarking initiative that brings municipalities together to improve energy efficiency and environmental management in their own buildings, with an eye to inspiring other organizations and individuals to take action that supports healthier, more sustainable communities.

Although Mississauga prides itself on being ahead of the curve when it comes to energy management, a City-wide energy audit revealed an additional $5.6 million was required to fund all remaining energy-saving priorities. As evidence of its commitment to continuous improvement, Council agreed to an implementation plan for all necessary work.

“Council is very, very pleased with the work that’s been done so far, but there’s always more to be done,” Balchandani said. “We are a very progressive municipality, and we hope our results demonstrate to other cities that financial and environmental goals with respect to energy management are totally compatible.”

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