HWDSB rewarded for energy saving
Alectra Utilities One Million Kilowatt Hour Club Award & Alectra Utilities Energy Saving Champion Certificate
HWDSB has been inducted into Alectra Utilities One Million Kilowatt Hour Club.
It’s a club reserved for Alectra Utilities customers that have saved at least one million kilowatt hours (kWh) since measuring began in 2005. HWDSB saved more than one million kilowatt hours in just one year.
“We’re saving energy, but we’re never compromising the safe and comfortable environment for students to learn in,” says Steve Jankus, Lead Supervisor of Energy and Safe Environment. “Anything we do, it’s always with that in the forefront.”
HWDSB implements variable frequency drives, allowing pumps and fans throughout buildings to slow down to run at a speed that is required at that time. This, in turn, saves electricity.
HWDSB’s use of variable frequency drives also motivated a nomination for Alectra Utilities Best Variable Frequency Drive Project.
Hillcrest Elementary School became part of the project by installing two new variable frequency drives to reduce energy usage.
Hillcrest is heated and cooled by a water source heat pump system with oversized pumps. The new variable frequency drives slowed down those pumps, reduced water flow rate, and saved 105,000 kWh.
HWDSB also modified the programming of Hillcrest’s heat pump systems by changing the controls to turn off automatically when the school is unoccupied. This saved an additional 32,750 kWh. HWDSB’s efforts reduced Hillcrest’s overall annual building electricity usage by 15.5 per cent while maintaining comfort.
HWDSB continues to prioritize energy efficiency and being cognizant of maintenance costs.
“We’re doing everything in our means to curb wasteful energy consumption.”
To learn more about what HWDSB is doing to save energy, visit @HWDSB_Energy on Twitter.
Updated on Wednesday, May 03, 2017.