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Energy Management

Businesses account for 63% of all the energy consumed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Energy Management

Businesses account for 63% of all the energy consumed in Newfoundland and Labrador. This includes industrial processes, freight transportation, and the energy used in buildings. Each year, energy consumption can result in considerable costs to businesses and generate a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Taking steps to improve energy management practices throughout your business's operations can reduce your operating costs and improve your bottom line, while also reducing your carbon footprint and improving your environmental sustainability.

Steps to Better Energy Management

The path to better energy management typically involves the following steps:

  1. Monitoring your energy use and collecting data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, which is a useful tool for benchmarking the amount of energy used in your organization.
  2. Identifying opportunities to save energy. This should include simple behavioural or process changes that could make a difference , as well as how much energy could be saved through potential upgrades.
  3. Targeting the best opportunities. Typically, this is determined by the "payback period" of the investment, which shows how quickly you'll recover the upfront costs of the potential upgrades through lower energy bills.
  4. Tracking your progress. Analyze energy use data to see how well your efforts are working and whether other opportunities may be available.

In addition to these steps, it also helps to make energy management a boardroom issue. Businesses that are successful typically give clear responsibility for energy management to someone in a senior position in their organization to ensure it receives a high profile and ongoing attention.

To learn more about how your business can become a better energy manager, check out:

What have others done?

stack of soda cans

Browning Harvey is a manufacturer and distributor of beverages in Newfoundland and Labrador that has taken progressive steps to reduce energy consumption at their operations in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor and St. John's. Since 2000, the company has had an energy focus, taking steps to improve energy performance through lighting, boilers and heating systems. They have installed a web-based energy management system, which helps the company understand and control what is happening at their facilities. Additionally, the old HVAC system and water chiller were replaced with air source heat pumps. As a result of these upgrades, it is estimated that greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced by 660 tonnes per year.