The idea to make UBC a world leader in energy management did not start with an institutional call to action. It began, over a decade ago, with many people from different parts of the university asking how they could help UBC work differently and do better. Since 1998, as this groundswell became part of the fabric of UBC, and the people, programs and infrastructure have been put in place to accumulate $65 million in energy and water savings and reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent — all while the campus increased its institutional floor space by 42 per cent.
Now a rigorous and well-run campus initiative, UBC’s Energy Management Plan (EMP) identifies conservation and efficiency opportunities and includes regular monitoring of thermal energy, electricity, and water usage of large buildings, benchmarking and data analysis to identify over-consuming buildings or systems, and establishes multi-year targets for energy savings.
“While Energy & Water Services will accept this award on behalf of UBC,” observes David Woodson, Managing Director of Energy & Water Services at UBC. “The award truly recognizes UBC and the contributions of faculty, staff, and students in changing our approach to energy and acting as a living lab to demonstrate what’s possible to the rest of the world.”
Looking forward, UBC’s 2016 – 2020 plan has annual savings targets of a further 4 gigawatt hours electrical and 20,000 gigajoules of natural gas. Energy accomplishments that would not have been possible without a strong commitment from senior management, a strategic energy management plan based on continuous improvement, a dedicated energy team, and the support of its conservation partners BC Hydro, Fortis BC, and the Province of British Columbia.
Through its International Awards Program, the Association of Energy Engineers shines the light on the important work that is being done in energy management by individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations. The 2018 International Awards were presented in conjunction with the 41st World Energy Engineering Congress in Charlotte, North Carolina the evening of Wednesday, October 17, 2018.