FRAMINGHAM, Mass., and TORONTO — Ameresco Inc. announced that it has partnered with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on a new energy savings project. The $3.9 million (CAD) comprehensive energy efficiency and facility renewal project at NRC’s research facilities in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St. John’s, Newfoundland, is expected to save over $330,000 annually in utility costs. The project, expected to be completed in 2017, is proceeding with retrofits and enhancements that promise greater efficiency, cost savings, and lowering of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“Ameresco is honored to continue our work with the National Research Council of Canada on this third project as it celebrates its 100-year anniversary,” said Bob McCullough, president, Ameresco Canada. “This project supports building improvements that are expected to deliver energy cost-savings allowing NRC to continue their R&D initiatives which are of strategic importance and economic value to Canada.”

Under the energy savings agreement, planned measures to optimize efficiency include: building automation system enhancements; ventilation improvements; laboratory refrigeration, freezer, and environmental chamber consolidation and upgrades; fume hood system optimization; lighting retrofits and installation of energy-efficient lighting; and water consumption reductions.

The project is expected to save 1.024 MWh and 164 kW of electricity, 10,223 gigajoules of steam, and 14,154 cubic meters of city water each year. The environmental benefits from this project include the reduction of up to 590 metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

Work at NRC’s Atlantic Canada research facilities is part of a larger project with Ameresco, which also includes work at three buildings in Ottawa valued at $5.4 million that are nearing completion. The project will bring the total utility savings achieved to approximately $2.3 million annually once completed. This is the third project on which NRC has worked with Ameresco. In 2008, Ameresco completed work on its first NRC project, a $3.7 million initiative resulting in annual utility savings of $483,000. The second was a $9.3 million project, with annual utility savings of more than $993,000, at 100 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, for which NRC and Ameresco received the 2014 Real Property Institute of Canada (RPIC) Energy Award for Energy Efficiency of Federal Buildings.

For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

Publication date: 9/12/2016

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!