Museum blamed for missed targets on greenhouse gases
EDMONTON The yet-to-be opened Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) was largely responsible for the province missing its targets last year for greenhouse gases produced by government owned buildings, Alberta Infrastructure says.
“Museums have higher energy consumptions than other government buildings because many exhibits, artifacts and storage require 24/7 controls to ensure appropriate temperature, humidity and air quality levels,” the ministry said in an emailed response Wednesday.
Statistics published in the ministry ’s latest annual report include numbers on emissions “intensity,” measured by how many carbon dioxide equivalents were produced per square metre of governmentowned space.
The numbers show provincial facilities emitted 0.132 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per square metre in the 201718 fiscal year — about four per cent above the target.
Much of the increase was due to the new museum, the ministry said. “The target for 2017-18 was determined before the new Royal Alberta Museum was completed,” the annual report says.
“It is not possible to predict the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of a new facility with a high level of accuracy before the facility completes one full year of operations.”
External construction of the $375.5-million facility was completed two years ago, but the building has remained closed to the public as crews complete interior work, build exhibits and move artifacts from the old Royal Alberta Museum. It is expected to open sometime this fall.
At nearly 38,000 gross square metres, the new museum is advertised to be the biggest in Western Canada, and significantly larger than the 24,095 gross square metres of the former site.
The government called for the museum to be constructed to at least a “silver” standard on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for green buildings.
As such, the new RAM is touted to be approximately twice as efficient as the old museum, yet its large size means the facility still uses more energy overall, the ministry said.
In addition to the RAM, increased natural gas consumption at four provincial fish hatcheries also contributed to the missed emissions target, the report said.
The government said it responded with an energy audit to look for projects that could reverse the trend.
Included is a modernization of the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery in Calgary to help the facility use less energy and water.
The government does not plan to publish emissions intensity targets in the future, citing concerns that the current methodology does not allow for accurate projections.
However, such targets will still be used internally to help manage emissions, the ministry said.
“We are open to bringing this performance measure back in the business plan once the methodology has been refined,” a ministry statement said.
As for overall emissions, government buildings produced 393,206 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents last year, up about five per cent from 375,345 the year before.
The government has said it is working to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint, noting it has 154 LEED -certified projects and has installed solar panels on 10 facilities.