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Global TV news celebrities Mark Madryga (left) and Steve Darling have some fun during the 2009 Power Smart Awards gala at Vancouver's Hyatt Regency Hotel.
May 27, 2009
Developer, law firm among Power Smart Excellence Award winners
From the developer of an energy-efficient community in the Kootenays to a Campbell River law firm that cut its lighting bill by 69%, the 2009 Power Smart Excellence Awards winners enjoyed the spotlight Tuesday at Vancouver's Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Columere Park Developments Ltd. was named builder/developer of the year for its Spirits Reach development, a 500-acre master-planned community overlooking Columbia Lake near Fairmont Hot Springs. Each home in the development earned a Power Smart Gold rating for energy efficiency, indicating that it uses 30% less energy than the average home.
The Product Incentive Program Achievement Award went to the Campbell River law firm Shook Wickham Bishop & Field. The firm's office retrofit featured energy-saving T8 fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent pot lights and LED exit signs and adds up to a whopping 69% drop in lighting energy use, the highest figure among all those who took part in the Product Incentive Program in the past year.
See the full list of 2009 winners below.
“Conservation is the first and best choice for meeting our province’s electricity needs as we work towards self sufficiency,” said BC Hydro President and CEO Bob Elton. “Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners for the leadership they have demonstrated in energy efficiency and for the financial savings and operational benefits they will now realize.”
2009 Power Smart Leaders
The Power Smart Leader designation is given to organizations that demonstrate a continuous commitment to energy efficiency and have integrated energy conservation into every facet of their business.
BC Hydro added three organizations - Molson Canada, the Overwaitea Food Group, and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority - to the existing group of Power Smart Leaders.
Power Smart Excellence Awards winners
The annual awards showcase the best energy efficiency and conservation practices in B.C. The awards strive to inspire and enable B.C. businesses to participate in and implement their own conservation programs to reduce energy use.
The winners of the 2009 Power Smart Excellence Awards are:
Columere Park Developments Ltd. – Builder/Developer of the Year
Columere Park Developments’ guiding principles are to create sustainable, energy-efficient communities with market appeal. Its Spirits Reach development is a 500-acre master-planned community in the Kootenays. Each home achieved a Power Smart Gold rating for energy efficiency, meaning the homes use 30 per cent less energy than the average home. The homes also feature ENERGY STAR® appliances, lighting, windows and ventilation systems, as well as geothermal heating and cooling. In addition, half of the Spirits Reach property is devoted to green space.
Globe Electric Company Inc. – Manufacturer of the Year
Globe Electric Company is an international supplier of electrical products. In 2008, Globe expanded its line of ENERGY STAR products from one category to nine, and the number of individual products from 40 to more than 350. It also complemented BC Hydro’s incentive programs with its own program to enhance its offering and attract new customers.
London Drugs – Retailer of the Year
London Drugs hosted 30 Power Smart clinics in 2008 with BC Hydro representatives. The clinics educated customers on its line of energy efficient products and the benefits they provide. During Power Smart Month in October, the retailer also offered special incentives beyond those offered by BC Hydro.
Jawl Properties Ltd. – Energy Champion
Jawl implemented energy efficiency retrofits in half of its property portfolio in 2008, reducing energy use by 22%. The company’s Green Team launched a Workplace Conservation Awareness Program to encourage employees and tenants to adopt energy-saving behaviours. The program has fostered a significant culture change
TELUS – Energy Conservation Commitment
TELUS is committed to energy conservation in the competitive field of Canadian telecommunications. It ensures continuous improvement by identifying major energy use drivers and developing plans to improve their efficiency. In 2008, energy upgrades in four network communications facilities resulted in a 10% reduction in energy use.
Sysco Victoria – Innovation in Sustainable Building Design
Sysco Victoria is an industry model for sustainable building design with the construction of its new distribution centre in Langford. To make the building as energy efficient as possible, Sysco Victoria adopted all measures proposed in energy efficiency studies, even those with longer term financial paybacks. The result was a 58% reduction to the overall energy footprint of the building.
G. Derek Henriques – Larry Bell Award for Advancing Energy Conservation within BC
The contributions made by Derek Henriques have helped transform B.C. into a more energy-aware and energy-efficient society. A former BC Hydro employee, Henriques’ first initiative – an energy-efficient motors program for industry – became a model for other Power Smart programs. Working with the Canadian Standards Association, Henriques was instrumental in driving the development of energy efficiency standards for electrical equipment. In B.C., legislation was introduced requiring electrical products to be designed and labelled with energy efficiency in mind.
Streetlight Intelligence Inc. – New Technology of the Year
Streetlight Intelligence developed the Lumen IQ™ street light optimization system. When retrofitted into streetlights, this technology enables lamps to be individually controlled and dimmed during non-peak periods. A pilot project with the City of Prince George to test retrofitted lights at various dimming levels showed an overall reduction in energy use of 25%, with no impact on driver or pedestrian safety.
BC Housing and BC Non-Profit Housing Association – Conservation Partner of the Year
The BC Housing and BC Non-Profit Housing Association are working together to engage the social and non-profit housing sector in energy efficiency. Nearly 60,000 households benefit from this collaboration, which includes the development an energy management strategy for the non-profit housing sector, energy retrofits in more than 50 buildings and energy studies for 80 housing developments. BC Housing has committed to building new developments to LEED® Gold certification, and more 40 new developments operated by BCNPHA member societies are under design or construction.
Vancouver Aquarium – Workplace Conservation Leadership (Commercial/Industrial)
A world leader in marine life conservation and education, the Vancouver Aquarium re-energized its long-established tradition of energy conservation in 2008 through an employee awareness campaign run by its popular Green Team. Their goal was to promote environmental awareness among employees and affect change both at work and at home. With the help of a Power Smart grant and mascot “Earl the Electric Eel”, the 26-member Green Team ran a series of effective energy conservation activities including surveys, scavenger hunts, cubicle tune-ups and conservation pledges.
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority - Workplace Conservation Leadership (Government/Institutional)
Vancouver Coastal Health proved that energy performance improvements can be made even with 22,000 employees occupying more than 476 buildings The health authority is implementing an integrated Energy Management program that reaches all levels of the organization, elevates energy management to a strategic level and delivers savings of $487,500 per year. In 2008, it completed 21 energy efficiency projects, and is currently undergoing energy audits to identify more opportunities and implement continuous optimization projects.
Shook Wickham Bishop & Field - Product Incentive Program Achievement
Shook Wickham Bishop & Field retrofitted its Campbell River office with energy-saving T8 fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent pot lights and LED exit signs. The law firm’s electricity use from lighting has dropped by nearly 69%, the highest reduction among all Product Incentive Program projects completed in 2008.
“Leadership creates change and I commend the winners of this year’s Excellence Awards for elevating conservation to the next level within their organizations and for setting a strong example for others to follow,” said Premier Gordon Campbell. “Our BC Energy Plan requires that 50% of all new demand for electricity be met through conservation and we will need everyone’s help to meet that objective.”
