Dal gets help with energy efficiency from on‑site energy advisor

Dalhousie’s utility bill each year isn’t exactly pocket change: it’s $13.2 million each year.

Part of the role of the Office of Sustainability is to help find energy savings that both cut down those costs while also reducing Dal’s eco-footprint.

A great deal of this work is already underway, from the almost-completed campus lighting retrofit to energy and water upgrades to five major buildings. And helping guide this process along over the course of 2013 will be Glen MacDougall, an on-site energy advisor from Efficiency Nova Scotia.

For the entire year, MacDougall will be embedded on campus, helping Dal identify and prioritize opportunities for improvements and savings in electricity, natural gas and water. The partnership will look at ways to reduce consumption, increase efficiency, and make lasting savings on costly utility bills.

“There’s no shortage of projects or possible ideas here,” says MacDougall, an NSCC graduate in Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology. “It’s about looking at Dal’s systems and projects to determine which ones make the most sense for Dalhousie and Efficiency Nova Scotia to work together on.”

The hope is to find projects that can be completed at low cost. One of the biggest areas he’ll be looking for savings is in Dal’s many kitchens. For example, be looking at applying for Efficiency Nova Scotia projects in the upcoming Howe Hall kitchen renovations, as well as leading a kitchen energy audit at the Agricultural Campus.

“Having an on-site energy advisor will allow Dal to have a dedicated resource who will work specifically on energy savings projects,” says Rochelle Owen, director of the Office of Sustainability. “Glen is working with the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management’s Joint Energy Committee to work with both departments on new ideas.”

Learn more about the Office of Sustainability’s work at its website.