Sustainability & Energy Management
at York University
2014 Energy Conservation and Demand
Management Plans Early Action Summary
Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University
Introduction
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Founded in March 1959, and is now Canada's third-largest university
Canada's leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university
Over 55,000 students at two campuses in Toronto
Expansion of engineering program now the Lassonde School of Engineering
Major Faculty of Environmental Studies
Over 7,000 employees
Single largest campus in Canada
8,000,000 sq. ft. portfolio with 21MW electrical peak load (future engineering building)
including over 10,000 tons of centralized chillers for air conditioning
Hosting Track and Field events in a new stadium under construction for 2015 Pan Am
Games
Similar to scope of City of North Bay
Motto – redefine THE POSSIBLE,
Tentanda Via: The Way must be tried.
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu.
Chinese philosopher, 604 BC - 531 BC)
York’s energy management journey single step began with a bold leadership vision from
the VP of Finance & Administration back in the 2005 time frame to complete a large
energy management program to reduce both our utility operating cost and our
environmental footprint by 25% while renewing ageing infrastructure.
York University was facing a problem not uncommon to many post secondary and public
sector facilities then as they are now – the need to address deferred maintenance of
old infrastructure in the face of rising utility costs and reduced operating budgets.
Vision strongly aligned with institution’s core values of sustainability and wanting and
needing to practice what we preach in terms of environmental improvements, and
business acumen
Board of Governors Approved the first measure in 2006 of $41 million project, and the
journey began…
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University
York University had made previous large investments into two 5 MW natural gas fired
cogeneration units in 1997 and 2003 which typically supply almost 50% of the
electricity and most of the heating to the Keele campus
These early action energy efficiency initiatives were consistent with the province’s health
care goal to eliminate coal fired generation and the associated greenhouse gas and
other air quality contaminants, and well contributed to grid diversity, transmission
efficiency and resiliency
The $41 million project built on this previous success with the aim that the greenest
energy is the energy you don’t use focusing on Conservation and Demand
Management (CDM)
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University:
Maximize the Outcome – what is the value proposition of our $41 Million Project
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Realize Operating Utility and Maintenance Cost Avoidances and future cost
increases from consumption reduction
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Reputation
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Engagement
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Address Deferred Maintenance of Ageing Infrastructure
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Improve comfort and lighting
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“Create” new infrastructure capacity with increased capital cost
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Maximize utility incentives to enhance project
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University:
Maximize the Outcome – what is the value proposition of our $41 Million Project
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Realize Operating Utility and Maintenance Cost Avoidances and future cost
increases from consumption reduction
We have reduced our annual energy consumption from our 2007 peak by over 29%
(439,000,000 Mega joules reduction)
During this time the size of the University has grown by over 5%, and all this growth has
been absorbed
In environmental terms this represents over 20,000 tons of greenhouses gases reduced
annually, also over 29% reduction with more to come
We have hired a specialty maintenance supervisor to ensure we sustain our and
enhance our savings with additional focus on HVAC scheduling
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University:
Maximize the Outcome – what is the value proposition of our $41 Million Project
Reputation and Engagement: Headlines that attract staff and students
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York University named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2013 and 2014
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For the second year in a row, the UI Green Metric Ranking of World Universities
awarded York with the title of greenest university in Canada. President and ViceChancellor Mamdouh Shoukri said of the award, “York University continues to strive
to be at the forefront of sustainability strategies.”
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York University wins 2012 provincial award for environmental excellence
•Metering installed by the project underpins our award winning student engagement program
Res Race to Zero, and is an outstanding program that takes a community-driven approach to
sustainability and exemplifies York’s mission to create local solutions with a global impact.
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University:
Maximize the Outcome – what is the value proposition of our $41 Million Project
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Address Deferred Maintenance of Ageing Infrastructure: HVAC systems that were old
corroded and leaking, dampers, pumps, VAV boxes, pneumatic controls
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Improve comfort and lighting – better spaces to learn and work
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“Create” new infrastructure capacity with increased capital cost: we have added
entire buildings with no new campus distribution infrastructure
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York University:
Maximize the Outcome – what is the value proposition of our $41 Million Project
Maximize utility incentives to enhance project – OVER $3,355,000 to date
York acknowledges with thanks our utility incentive partners.
Ontario Power Authority, Toronto Hydro/Office of Energy Efficiency/Better
Buildings Partnership, Enbridge Gas, Toronto Water Capacity Buy Back Program
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and NRCAN
What next on the journey to reducing
consumption?
 Completed review of possible next steps in early 2012 as gas prices
had fallen making some original measures financially unattractive,
where there now better unforeseen options – RESULT: anticipated
incentive of $880,000 on top of previous $3,355,000
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New Steam Turbine Chiller Project
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New Steam Turbine Chiller Project
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Board of Governors approved of $5,000,000 budget to engineer, procure and
install a 3,000 ton steam turbine driven chiller in the Keele Campus Central
Utilities Building
This project has several attributes which independently substantiate the
concept;
 Reduced energy consumption and associated environmental stewardship (reducing
annual electrical consumption by 5,231,000 kWh and peak consumption by 2MW, over
4,000 tons of CO2 avoided assuming imported coal fired peaking generation, twice the
capacity and efficiency)
Requirement for Incremental Peak Chilling Capacity – new buildings
Maximizing York Electrical Power Generation – unloads cogen thermal constraint
Minimization of Imported Power and reducing cost of purchased electricity Investment
Business Case and Incentive Timeliness (<8 year payback, with an electricity saving of
$523,101/year)
Modernization and reliability – replaces very inefficient 1964 unit
Infrastructure Cost Avoidance – electrical sub-stations, new chillers
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Sustainability & Energy Management at
York: Looking Ahead
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Many impressive accomplishments that we are proud of as
we continue to advance our commitment to sustainability
progress
 Need to deal with cost challenges and climate change are
increasing
 York has reduced over 30,000,000 kWh/year but there are
still hundreds of new opportunities with daylight harvesting,
and new technology like LEDs
 Future aspirations: Smart Grid Fund Micro grid application
with support from our Faculty of Environmental Studies and
Lassonde School of Engineering with the launch of the
Electrical Engineering program, multi MW chilled water
storage peak shifting and renewable integration with the
increasing flexibility of the new Feed-In-Tariff regimes for
large campuses
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YorkW!$E Energy Management Project
Quick Stats – Campus Buildings
 51 Buildings across both Campus have had new energy efficient lighting installed
that has reduced lighting demand by over 2.3 MW (2,300 kW)
 31 Buildings have had major controls upgrades adding over 2,000 new control and
monitoring points,
 141 Variable Speed drives have been added to 19 Campus buildings representing 3,185
hp of fan power converted to Variable Air Volume Control (VAV)
 2,350,000 CFM of ventilation on Campus has been converted to VAV
 160 new utility meters installed on Campus (Keele Campus)
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