UBC recognized by FortisBC with Efficiency in Action Award

UBC was among 11 B.C. organizations recognized by with an Efficiency in Action Award for their dedication to conserving energy. The University of British Columbia has worked closely with FortisBC for several years as part of an ongoing strategy to reduce energy use in facilities on the Vancouver campus.

The university recently achieved a 33 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2007 levels. As part of this effort, UBC has worked closely with FortisBC for the past four years to find energy savings at the Vancouver campus. Initiatives range from minor efficiency measures to creative implementation of large-scale heat recovery projects. In 2016, projects completed in collaboration with FortisBC saved more than 31,000 GJ bringing the partnership’s savings to approximately 60,000 GJ to date. The university is on track to increase its savings even further in 2017.

“UBC has set some extremely ambitious climate targets, and working with FortisBC to implement demand-side efficiency measures is a key part of our strategy to achieve our emission reduction goals,” said David Woodson, Managing Director of UBC Energy and Water Services.

The annual Efficiency in Action Awards recognize customers who have worked with FortisBC to achieve exceptional energy savings in building construction and in improvements to their operations. Award recipients include businesses of all sizes, municipalities and institutions. The winning projects are diverse, such as community housing, health care and residential buildings — from multi-purpose developments to single family.

Overall in B.C., FortisBC provided approximately $24.4 million in incentives through conservation and energy management programs and helped customers reduce their annual electricity use by approximately 22,800 megawatt hours and their annual natural gas use by approximately 438,800 gigajoules.

Read more on the FortisBC website.