Vision Statement:
The Energy Team is an integral part of Campus Operations and Risk Management overseeing the utilities portfolio, working within a mandate of fiscal efficiency, operational excellence, environmental sustainability and innovative demonstrations.
Mission Statement:
The Energy Team champions appropriate policies and guidelines to assist in meeting campus energy goals. The Energy Team diligently works to reduce energy use and associated GHGs & costs, and optimize campus energy systems.
The Energy Team is responsible for following activities on campus:
- Continuous measurement, verification, tracking and analysis of energy use on campus
- Review and report on campus energy performance
- Provide technical guidance to ensure new buildings meet energy efficiency targets consistent with campus energy plans
- Develop and implement campus energy policies
- Conduct energy audits
- Improving efficiency of campus HVAC systems and campus building automation systems
- Identify strategies for energy savings
- Troubleshoot systems and equipment to ensure efficient operation
Energy Team Initiatives
Energy Team has been actively working on developing appropriate policies and guidelines that assist in meeting long-term campus energy and carbon goals through the following initiatives:
- Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP) 2023: The 2023 update of the Strategic Energy Master Plan (SEMP) is a comprehensive integration of diverse initiatives aimed at advancing our high-level energy strategy. This update is in alignment with our goal to reach a future state with a view of modernization, renewal, and growth to meet current and future energy needs in line with UBC Okanagan’s goals and resilience
- Building Energy Target Background: Develop high-level options to reach a future state (with a view of modernization, renewal, and growth to serve both existing and new loads) anticipating Campus growth consistent with UBC Okanagan goals and aspirations. Building energy performance targets were developed by modelling the expected business case of potential energy conservation measures on building archetypes representative of typical UBCO buildings. The targets were set at the performance level expected if all energy conservation measures (ECMs) that were deemed cost-effective (positive NPV) were implemented. By using the targets developed in this method, the need for an energy performance life-cycle analysis is reduced for most projects. (note: embodied energy/carbon is outside the scope of this study). In addition to the targets themselves, the list of measures that were implemented in order to achieve the targeted performance level is provided as a base pathway to meet the required energy performance. Note that the listed ECM bundles are not prescriptive, they are only provided as a guide to a pathway to meet the specified performance targets. It should be noted that all ECMs in the recommended measure bundles have already been successfully implemented in recent projects within UBC.Due to the significant capital and operating cost of meeting peak energy demands, peak load targets for electrical demand and district heating and cooling are included in addition to energy consumption targets. Proposed energy targets are intended to evaluate building performance and are independent of external factors such as DES efficiency or electric grid factors.
- District Energy System Description and Strategy: Historically UBCO has had two district energy systems (DES). A medium temperature system (MDES) distributes hot water for heating. An ambient or low temperature system (LDES) distributes tempered water (8C-32C) to water-source heatpumps (WSHPs) within the building that provide both hot and chilled water. At the present time, UBCO is transitioning away from building-level WSHPs to centralized ones in ‘cluster-plants’. Going forward, heating and cooling will be provided by these ‘cluster-plant’ nodes and project need to be compatible with the operating parameters of the designated cluster plant.
- Energy Monitoring and Data Management Platform: Develop an intelligent data driven energy monitoring and management system for micro communities using statistical and advanced data analysis methods
- Quarterly and Annual Reports: Energy Team quarterly and annual reports presenting campus performance related to energy operations.
- Portfolio Manager: Interactive energy management account for researchers, consultants, contractors to access UBCO energy consumption data.
- Projects and Initiatives: UBCO’s Energy Department is responsible for several energy projects that are saving UBCO significant amounts of energy and associated operational costs.
- Other: Technical reviews and setting goals, targets and strategies as early as possible for future campus expansions, updating the infrastructure HVAC Asset Management database and updating Technical Guidelines intended to provide minimum standards for campus projects.