CONSTANT UPGRADES ENHANCE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN RETAIL SECTOR
BC Hydro works with many B.C. organizations to strategically manage plans around energy efficiency. The important work being done by some of this province’s leaders in energy management is being featured in this space. This month, the discussion highlights how the retail industry can benefit from energy efficiency.
Ask Dominic Dupuis what the motivation is behind his energy conservation mindset, and you might not expect the answer you receive.
“I’m a ski instructor, and I really like my snow!” exclaims Dupuis, the national energy manager for TELUS. “If we do our part to care for the environment and are mindful of the energy we consume, there’s a good chance we can help ensure that future generations can enjoy the thrill of the snowy slopes.”
Dupuis grew up skiing around his home province of New Brunswick – even taking part in competitive racing – but eventually turned his focus to studying electrical engineering. Over more than 15 years in the worlds of telecommunications and power, he’s learned a great deal about how different systems are put together, and by extension, how to make them more energy efficient.
“Energy reduction is based on a team effort – recognizing why we do the things we do, and what we can do better,” Dupuis states. TELUS has set the lofty goal of reducing its overall energy consumption by 10 per cent (relative to a 2010 baseline), by the year 2020. Dupuis says the only way to achieve that target is to use a strategic energy management plan (SEMP), and teamwork.
The SEMP allows different stakeholders to weigh in on large-scale infrastructure projects, which can be complex, and involve varying priorities.
Take for instance, the computers on which the network runs. In its drive for sustainability, TELUS has found a more efficient way to cool the data centres where the computers are housed, while maintaining reliability. Heat pumps are being used to recover some of the heat created to keep diesel generators at their most efficient operating temperatures. Choosing to situate data centres in naturally cool areas like Kamloops or Rimouski, QC, is also helping with conservation efforts, as air is pre-cooled before it enters the buildings.
TELUS is also using less office space than it did a decade ago, in favour of allowing more people to work remotely from the location of their choice. In addition to decreasing power consumption at office buildings, it is creating more flexibility for day-to-day schedules, and reducing the need to commute on a daily basis. It also allows the company to have many people working from different locations across Canada, instead of concentrating in several major hubs.
“This gives us more time to work towards achieving our common objectives, instead of being stuck in traffic for hours,” Dupuis points out. “It’s a strong message that enables our team members to be productive and engaged, and we provide the technology for them to work when and where they’re most efficient.”
Sticking to conservation principles has allowed TELUS to save nearly 3.3 million kWh of power in B.C. in 2016 alone.
Most of the energy efficiency projects aren’t really noticeable at the customer level for TELUS. Not so at Loblaw retail locations, which include Real Canadian Superstore grocery stores, Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy outlets, and Joe Fresh clothing stores.
“We’ve upgraded lighting, first from metal halide to fluorescent, and then LED bulbs,” says Mohamed Farag. He was the B.C. energy manager for Loblaw until April, and now works out of Ontario. “That’s meant a significant reduction in consumption, and better quality light – the colours are more accurate, which is important for produce.”
There are other changes that consumers can see, including a move to put more doors and lids on refrigeration and freezer display cases. Some freezers now have LED bulbs in them; since they don’t produce heat, the food remains frozen at a more consistent temperature. Maintaining refrigeration and HVAC equipment is also important, to ensure the equipment is running at maximum efficiency.
Farag says energy control systems and occupancy sensors help automate the process of controlling temperatures, but what’s equally important is creating an ongoing conversation about the importance of energy conservation.
“Part of strategic energy management is training and communication with stores, and getting constant feedback. It’s important to be able to respond right away to equipment malfunctions that might increase consumption,” he explains. “For example, maintaining the equipment that allows fresh air into the stores will allow us to control the amount of energy consumed from cooling or heating.”
Farag and Dupuis agree that their jobs are made easier because both companies hold sustainability and conservation as core values; the challenge can be translating that into daily operations. That’s where strategic energy management can help everybody focus on priorities.
“Once you’ve started a project, it can be easy to lose the forest for the trees – you have to make sure you keep strategic goals in mind,” says Dupuis. “When other challenges come up, we have to work through priorities and realities, and modifying plans to keep on track for our 2020 target.”
He says it all comes down to talking with people, instead of dictating policies or reeling off technical jargon. An energy management audit is an important tool; it gathers individuals in one place to identify specific opportunities for energy efficiency. It can also highlight where obstacles may lie, and how to work around them.
Dupuis says B.C. Hydro has been a key partner in the effort to go green. Incentives have played a key part in getting initiatives up and running, while Hydro’s experts and tools, like the strategic energy management plan, have been an important resource as technology, products, and best practices change rapidly.
In the years ahead, he is hoping energy conservation will become a core way of doing business for many organizations. That includes reaching out to millennial workers, who will be the next generation to lead. Strategic energy management will help them get there.
No matter the size of your business, BC Hydro is here to help. For a look at available resources or to see how your organization can get involved, call 1-866-522-4713, visit bchydro.com/business, or contact your key account manager.