After six years and 160 Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs), the DCC and DND’s Infrastructure and Environment (ADM(IE)) teams are proudly wrapping up a successful Energy Performance Contract (EPC) at CFB Esquimalt that has had a big impact.
“We were one of the first EPCs to roll out in the country … and it has been really successful,” said Caelieh Bell, Regional Service Line Leader, Real Property Management, Pacific as she reflected on the improvements they were able to achieve using this procurement tool.
An EPC is a unique contract approach where a contractor completes an energy use study and makes recommendations for reducing impacts. The contractor then undertakes the necessary financing to complete the ECM and is compensated from savings achieved by the reduced energy costs. This means the upgrades create no new cost to the taxpayer—they’re paid for by the savings they create!
“It’s a very complex contract to manage—you’re always balancing the requirements of the loan and day-to-day issues with construction. You really have to manage it holistically,” said Caelieh.
The Esquimalt team was able to complete 190 improvements to reduce energy use across 70 buildings on site. These measures range from implementing LED lighting and high-efficiency boilers and heat pumps, to replacing windows and installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and solar hot water. The total savings resulting from these upgrades is over $876,000 in cost, and 2,291 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
In addition to the savings, the energy reduction efforts have resulted in nearly $1 million in incentive savings from BC Hydro and FortisBC—and earned the project team an award for their efforts.
The $20.3-million project is now in the measurement and verification stage and is nearing completion, and so far has met, or exceeded, all of the reduction estimates set at the beginning of the work. A success story in collaboration between the DCC and DND teams involved!
