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Overwaitea CEO Steve van der Leest.
November 5, 2009
Three CEOs share energy-efficiency stories
Nina Winham
For bchydro.com
Saving energy saves money. That point was clear after three CEOs shared their experiences with energy efficiency at last month's Power Smart Forum hosted by BC Hydro.
Figuring out how to save, and what to save, however, is where strategy comes in – and where learning from these large companies may help your business in its conservation quest.
The first to speak was Overwaitea Food Group's Steve van der Leest. Overwaitea operates 120 stores in B.C. and Alberta, under several different brands, serving 1.6 million customers per week. Because the grocery industry is so margin-conscious, van der Leest told the audience that any opportunity to "save pennies" was of interest.
Overwaitea has undertaken a variety of energy efficiency initiatives in partnership with BC Hydro, and has been twice honoured as a recipient of a Power Smart Excellence Award, in 2008 and 2009.
Overwaitea completed its first energy management assessment, appointed an energy manager, developed a strategic energy management plan, carried out several lighting, refrigeration and controls retrofits, and completed store walk-throughs to identify additional energy savings opportunities.
In 2009, BC Hydro added the company to its group of Power Smart Leaders, a designation given to organizations that demonstrate a continuous commitment to energy efficiency and have integrated energy conservation into every facet of their business. The company has now outlined several aspirational conservation goals, including 100% renewable energy.
Van der Leest offered to the audience two lessons learned. First, sustainability always requires tradeoffs, so it is important to be very clear on what you are trying to achieve. Second, it's critical to put the right measures in place, and do solid analysis to make decisions based on facts.
Vancouver Coastal Health has followed a similar path, with an energy management assessment and the hiring of a BC Hydro-sponsored energy manager, an offer available to larger BC Hydro customers. CEO Dr. David Ostrow described a number of building retrofits the health provider is undertaking after referring to their Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP), a tool provided by BC Hydro to help customers to better understand their energy usage. The retrofits have yielded savings of 3.5% of electricity to date – a savings of $472,000 annually for both electricity and natural gas.
Ostrow said engaging staff was important, so that people would make smart conservation choices in the workplace. The company has used staff "Lunch 'n Learns" and Green Teams to help spread the word about its energy conservation program, called GreenCare. With 22,000 employees, getting everyone to remember to turn out the lights when they're not needed makes a difference!
VCH is a 2009 winner of a Power Smart Workplace Conservation Leadership Award, and is now working on a LEED Gold, net zero energy and net zero carbon facility in Sechelt.
Greg Stewart of Sinclar Group Forest Products was the final business leader to speak. He noted that energy is a strategic issue no matter how you look at it.
Rising prices for energy are a significant cost risk – and when prices do rise (as he expects they will), there will be strategic opportunities for his companies in terms of alternative energy supplies such as biomass and re-capturing waste heat. Stewart said support from BC Hydro Power Smart programs has been invaluable, since the financial incentives help improve the payoff period of conservation initiatives.
Over just a few months, Stewart says Sinclar has achieved an annualized savings of $120,000 in energy costs – much of that coming from one program aimed at reducing leaks in air-driven equipment. Sinclar is launching an employee engagement program in early 2010.
Longer-term, Stewart says there's potential for the company to market itself as a green forest products supplier.
Stewart said mitigating risk, improving the bottom line, and reducing the cost per unit of production were all drivers in Sinclar's decision to develop a Strategic Energy Management Plan. In a sentiment echoed by all the CEOs who spoke, he said there was another reason too – it's "the right thing to do."
Nina Winham is a Vancouver-based sustainability consultant and writer.
Related link:
- Hire an Energy Manager
