Feb 13, 2019

The City of Pickering was recognized as one of Veridian’s Conservation Champions for achieving outstanding electricity conservation results in 2017. The city’s various retrofit projects resulted in a total savings of 59.40 kW and 4,671,791 kWh, which is the equivalent of powering 6,229 homes a month.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as a leader in energy conservation,” says Mayor Dave Ryan. “We are committed to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and will continue to partner with like-minded organizations to achieve our goals.”

The city developed a Corporate Energy Management Plan in 2014 that provides a 5-year roadmap for energy management. The plan addresses buildings, technology, streetlights and traffic signals, as well as people, processes, and information. It covers the period from 2014 to 2019.

Among projects undertaken:

    • retrofitted lighting in the four tennis courts at the Pickering Recreation Complex (PRC). The project replaced 61 incandescent 1000 watt bulbs with 320 watt LED fixtures, and is expected to significantly reduce operating costs

    • retrofitted the pool lighting at the PRC to save 27,945kWh annually

    • installed a new high efficiency chiller at the PRC which will annually save close to $11,000 in electricity costs

    • retrofitted Delaney and O'Brien ice rink lighting with LED lights, providing brighter, crisper ice time. The enhancements resulted in combined annual electricity savings of over $32,000

    • completed a 100kW solar photovoltaic project at the Claremont Community Centre, installed under the FIT 2.0 program. This green energy initiative is a joint partnership between Veridian Connections, Queen Street Solar Co-operative and Solera Sustainable Energies Company in cooperation with the City of Pickering

    • installed new energy efficient air handling units with variable frequency drives and automation controls in 14 locations

    • upgraded the heating plant at East Shore Community Centre, installed a new high efficiency condenser boiler, pumps with variable frequency drives, and integrated the facility into the energy management system

    • upgraded the computerized energy management system and introduced it at most facilities

    • replaced lighting at City Hall, annually saving $50,000 in energy costs and over 400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions

    • installed high-efficiency LEDs in all city traffic lights. The conversaion from high pressure sodium and mercury vapour luminaires is expected to save the city $456,000 in annual energy costs, and $235,000 in annual maintenance costs, for a combined annual savings of about $691,000

    • fitted motion sensor detection on the squash court lights at the PRC

    • installed new HVAC system motors with variable frequency drives at City Hall, the Recreation Complex, and West Shore Community Centre, saving a total of 240,429 kWh/year of energy

The city has also been investing in battery powered property maintenance tools such as line trimmers, hedge trimmers, handheld blowers, and a chainsaw. Staff are now investigating a solar charging station to recharge the battery packs offline in order to further reduce emissions.