High-performance building doesn't demand high cost PROUD GREEN BUILDING It used to be that high-performance building was a niche market. Achieving energy efficiencies seemed a hurdle too high to get over and too costly to afford. Not anymore. High-performance building these days is becoming more and more the standard in commercial construction. Success doesn't require extra effort or funding; just a simple approach that takes into account the connectivity of potential performance to other areas.
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Site C or no Site C — Public hearing Tuesday in Nelson THE NELSON DAILY British Columbians are facing a crucial test in the coming weeks – reaching an opinion on the planned Site C dam. Currently estimated to cost $8.8 billion, the hydroelectric dam on the Peace River is the single most expensive public infrastructure project ever proposed in B.C. history. Originally put forward along with a series of three other dams in the 1950s, Site C has been rejected twice already – in 1982 and 1989 – following hearings by the B.C. Utilities Commission. |
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Want resilient cities? Try a national policy on green infrastructure HUFFINGTON POST Outside the world of environmental and/or municipal infrastructure and urban design policy, you could be forgiven for not knowing what green infrastructure is. You may not have given more than a passing thought to the form and function of your urban green spaces, how urban water flows, or how big your watershed is. That is, unless you live in Windsor, Ottawa/Gatineau, Michigan or Houston, or one of the many communities across North America that have been hit hard by the near endless rain that has marked the summer of 2017.
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Inside the zero carbon building standard REMI NETWORK In December 2016, the Pan Canadian Framework cited sustainable buildings as one of the means to attain reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, specifying key measures to help drive down the industry’s emissions. This watershed moment for the green building industry put a spotlight on building performance as a critical solution to climate change.
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Advanced lighting controls training arrives in B.C. in 2018 BC HYDRO POWER SMART B.C. electricians will have access to advanced lighting controls training at two B.C. schools as early as January, 2018. Four years of hard work by several organizations, including BC Hydro, will bring North America's leading lighting controls training program to B.C. under agreements between EJTC Enterprises and the BC Institute of Technology and Okanagan College.
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Text message phishing scam targets customers BC HYDRO POWER SMART A new school year is also bringing a new attempt from scammers to obtain personal banking information from BC Hydro customers. We're issuing a warning about a new phishing scam, one that typically comes via text message and has the appearance of an Interac e-transfer.
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High temperatures lead to record breaking power consumption BC HYDRO POWER SMART BC Hydro set a new record for summer power consumption Monday evening when peak hourly demand – the hour that customers use the most electricity – reached 7,851 megawatts. Electricity demand increased by 12 per cent over last Monday’s peak demand of 7,022 megawatts. The energy required to serve the 829 megawatt increase in demand represents the equivalent of running seven Ruskin Generating Stations at full capacity.
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BC Hydro files submission with BCUC on Site C BC HYDRO POWER SMART BC Hydro has filed its submission to the BC Utilities Commission inquiry on Site C. The submission and related documents are available on the Site C Project website.
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Displacement ventilation ASHRAE Traditional “mixing” ventilation cooling systems use turbu-lent jets of fresh air that mix with and dilute any stale air. Incontrast, displacement ventilation cooling uses a low-velocity (0.15 to 0.2 m/s [30 to 39 fpm])1 stream of more moder-ately cooled air introduced via diffusers located either in walls atfloor level or through a raised floor. The cooler, slow-moving air slowly spreads over the floor and displaces thewarmer, stale air toward the ceiling, where it leaves the room. |
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Why solar is looking better for commercial buildings GREEN BIZ In two years, the prices for solar photovoltaic panels have plunged as a result of greater efficiencies in manufacturing and in the technology itself. Increasing competition among a growing number of suppliers has also helped reduce costs. The forces are expected to drive prices further down in coming years, making solar PV installations a brighter investment prospect for commercial buildings, according to Greg Sheppard, the chief research officer for photovoltaics at market intelligence firm IHS iSuppli. |
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B.C. on pace to meet water conservation goals VANCOUVER SUN B.C. is on pace to reduce water consumption 33 per cent by 2020, a key goal of the Water Sustainability Act that came into force on Monday. Total water use — including residential, industrial and agricultural consumers — is down 18 per cent since 2009, from an average of 606 litres per person per day to 494, according to research led by Jordi Honey-Rosés, a professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of B.C.
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Widespread wind and solar energy projects makes sense for B.C. VANCOUVER SUN In his comment piece in The Vancouver Sun, Aug. 4, Simon Fraser University professor Mark Jaccard is correct in citing that dispatchable energy is of more value than variable energy. His analogy regarding the dispatchability of emergency services is also quite compelling. However, the work required to determine the economic viability of Site C’s energy will need to go far beyond a simple analysis of a dispatchable resource versus a variable resource (one that can be switched on and off like hydro and one in which there is no direct control like solar and wind).
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Site C reaches employment milestone surpassing 2,000 workers BC GOV NEWS There are now more than 2,000 workers on the Site C Clean Energy Project, according to BC Hydro's latest employment statistics. “I’m pleased to see that the construction of Site C is continuing to create good jobs for British Columbians,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines. “There are now more than 2,000 workers on this project, with over 1,700 of those jobs going to British Columbians.”
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Mount Polley long-term water management plan approved BC GOV NEWS The approval of the long-term water management plan for Mount Polley means the mine can continue to operate providing 350 well-paying jobs in the region, Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett announced today. “With the approval of its long-term water management plan, the Mount Polley Mine has met its requirements to government and it can continue operations,” Bennett said. |
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Province helping B.C. companies make better windows BC GOV NEWS The Province is providing $500,000 to encourage the development and certification of high-performance windows that will help homeowners and businesses conserve energy and reduce heating costs, and stimulate the high-performance window manufacturing industry in British Columbia. |
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BOMA BC Environmental Programs |
BOMA BC is taking an active role in promoting energy efficiency and sustainability with its members by providing cost-effective tools and resources to improve performance in buildings. We offer direct assistance for your energy management needs, utility tracking and reporting software, energy training, total waste management services, and a green building certification program. All members are encouraged to contact BOMA BC to see what programs are right for your organization. |
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BOMA Strategic Energy Management Assistance
Through the BOMA Energy Management Program (EMP), partially funded by BC Hydro, BOMA is pleased to provide direct assistance to members with strategic energy management planning. BOMA BC members will have access to a qualified energy management professional who will work one-on-one with your organization to develop a strategic energy management plan. These plans are essential for organizations who are addressing the sustainability of their building portfolio and want a structured and effective way to reduce operating costs, improve building performance and reduce the environmental impact of the building. This complimentary service has very limited space, contact BOMA's Energy & Environmental Manager, Daniel Klemky (Daniel@boma.bc.ca), to find out more. |
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BOMA uTrack BOMA uTrack (powered by PUMA) is a utility tracking and reporting service offered to all members, at preferred pricing, to help reduce energy costs and track greenhouse gas emissions. Sign up now and start saving energy and money! BOMA uTrack clearly identifies utility spending and savings among multiple sites, prioritizes energy projects by identifying least efficient facilities, and sets achievable targets while easily charting and reporting on the results. For more information please contact Daniel Klemky |
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BOMA e-Energy Training The BOMA eEnergy Training course is an interactive online course for professionals to gain a comprehensive understanding of energy management. Participants develop the skills and knowledge to identify energy reduction opportunities in buildings and learn how to develop strategies to encourage stakeholders to save energy. What Course Participants are Saying… “The course is an excellent source for helping to summarize project costs and benefits as part of a capital budget, as well as ‘selling’ the benefits of energy savings projects." "The course went into much more detail than I expected, which I was happy with as I was looking for a better understanding of the technical basics.” “The spreadsheets and links are very beneficial for future use.” For more information or to register for the course, please go to the BOMA Learning Website. |
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BOMA BEST® 3.0 BOMA BEST® 3.0 is a national green building certification program developed to address an industry need for realistic standards for energy and environmental performance of existing buildings based on accurate, independently verified information. Currently BOMA BEST® 3.0 provides seven modules for certification (office, light industrial, shopping centre, open air retail, multi-unit residential, health care and universal), these certifications focus on ten key areas of environmental management (energy, water, air quality, comfort, health and wellness, purchasing, custodial, waste, site, and stakeholder engagement). |
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BOMA Total Waste Management The Total Waste Management (TWM) Program is a one-stop, cost effective recycling service. The service provides a comprehensive waste audit and custom solutions to meet all BOMA members' recycling needs (paper, cardboard, mixed containers, batteries, electronics, and organics). |