Green Buildings B.C. helps school districts manage risks and overcome the cost of capital

The BC Government recently enacted Bill 44, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, setting aggressive GHG emissions levels for all government agencies. The goals now require us to reduce GHG emissions by 33 per cent from 2007 levels by 2020, and by 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050.

With climate change and energy in the forefront of the public’s interest, education and healthcare sectors in British Columbia are looking for ways to reduce their operating costs and environmental footprint. An energy efficiency retrofit of public and institutional buildings provides one of the best opportunities to combine environmental stewardship and economic opportunity. But an energy efficiency retrofit is about more than just saving money and reducing emissions. It also leads to an improved work environment, better building operation, renewal of equipment, and is a way to show leadership in the community.

In the February 2008 Throne speech, the provincial government confirmed its intention that its operations be “carbon

Retrofit Program

vered by delivered b Tech-More Operations Resources Ltd. ch-More Ope Brian Miltimore Brian Milt re 604-328-0797 604-

Peter Hill brianm@tech-more.com brianmnm@tec 604-990-8226 04-990-82226 peterh@tech-more.com @tech-more.c e

Let us help you help the environment ...

Why the GBBC Retrofit Program is right for you! e GBBC Re

- facility & equipment improvements paid for by the utility savings they gener or by the utility savings they generate;men ments paid fo - o third parties; ; - enhanced comfort throug ghting y & temperature &temperature; - no competition with other priorities for fundin for funding; - stimulated local economies throug s - important contribution to the province's goals of resource conservation arvation and greenhouse gas reduction

... by reducing GHG emissions and your operational costs.

The program provides guidance through: - Instructional materials - Case studies - Workshops and broad non-technical planning support - Company directories - Reference to funding opportunities The program offers safeguards through:

- Pre-qualification of firms - Model procurement documents - Credit facility - Risk Transfer Mechanisms neutral” by 2010. A climate action plan to reinforce those intentions will be released shortly after the budget. The plan will be annually updated, and founded on personal responsibility, sound science and economic reality.

Green or high performance buildings, by definition, explicitly incorporate the principles of sustainability into their design, construction and operation. They incorporate: economic considerations (such as life cycle cost and value); social considerations (such as the health and comfort of building users); the impacts on surrounding community; and consideration of the stresses that buildings impose on regional environmental quality. As articles illustrate again and again, green buildings are consistently superior to their conventional counterparts in each of these respects.

Progressive building owners and managers in BC, in both public and private sectors, have begun to embrace green building practices. In fact, BC is recognized as a leader in Canada in the design and construction of green buildings, with more than 50% of Canada’s registered LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects. While impressive, this still represents less than 5% of the new construction in our province. As a result, the Premier raised the standard for all new government buildings in BC to be built to LEED® Gold or equivalent standard.

Green Buildings BC is a program of the Province of BC that can help start you on your way to a more energy efficient future. Available for provincial health and education facilities since 2000, Green Buildings BC has now been expanded to offer more services to the government sector. Whether it’s answering questions, undertaking an opportunity assessment of your facilities, or helping to develop a business case, they’re here to help. "The key to our success has been the program's ability to overcome the two biggest obstacles to implementing retrofits: cost of capital and management of risk," says Brian Miltimore, manager of Green Buildings BC.

Under the Green Building BC Retrofit Program, retrofit projects don’t have to compete with other priorities for scarce operating and capital funds. The cost is repaid by the utility savings they generate.

The program enables client institutions to borrow money at discounted interest rates, and to obtain either performance guarantees or insurance coverage guaranteeing specific energy savings. Here's how it works: clients borrow money from a $50 million pool of credit established for the program by the

Royal Bank of Canada, the successful bidder in a competitive tendering process. Loans are provided at terms more attractive than applicants could negotiate themselves – typically for rates below prime.

Performance guarantees are also available from participating energyservice companies. Alternatively, institutions can purchase policies to insure project performance; the brokerage firm of Morris and McKenzie won the right to underwrite retrofit projects. "Our program minimizes the risks –both real and perceived – associated with retrofitting for energy efficiency," Miltimore says. "Provincial institutions can confidently invest in portfolio-wide projects that pay for themselves within a few years and generate savings for many years to come."

To ensure its own long-term success, the Green Buildings Retrofit Program focuses on outreach, educating officials of provincial institutions about the substantial benefits of retrofit projects. To date, more than 70 on-site workshops have been delivered to school districts, post-secondary institutions and health authorities. Each workshop is delivered to representatives from a client's operations, procurement and finance departments, and, in some instances, members of the institution's board of directors.

To help clients select qualified retrofit companies, Green Buildings BC screens contractors, verifying their expertise and financial status. A list of qualified firms on the Internet includes companies offering engineering design, project management, installation, and monitoring and verification services.

The Green Buildings BC web site also offers a range of other materials, including case studies, how-to guides, and template RFPs and contracts. "We're determined to make it as easy as possible for our clients to implement projects in all of their buildings," says Miltimore.

The Retrofit Program has succeeded in accelerating the pace of retrofits. In its first year, only a handful of institutions took part the program. To date, more than 20 institutions have participated, with a total of almost 700 buildings.

The New Building Program can provide guidance with the technologies to help school districts understand what a "Green Building” is. Green Buildings BC can help with a business case that justifies the investment in high performance building strategies. It does this by focusing on what these buildings can offer the school district in terms of improved student outcomes and reduced on-going operating expenses.

High performance or green buildings make sense from so many perspectives but, to quote Scott D. Johnston of CH2M Hill, “A compelling case can be made for high performance (green) buildings purely on economics alone.” ❏

STRUCTURALRESININJECTION

URETEK®

! We lift, align, under-pin and stabilize settled, voided or shifting concrete slabs. ! We can densify weak soils to increase load-bearing capacity using our unique deep-injection technology. ! We can repair municipal infra-structure as concrete or asphalt pavements and storm/waste water systems.

MINIMAL DISRUPTION! COST EFFECTIVE! PERMANENT! 1-866-8-URETEK 1-866-887-3835 WWW.URETEK.CA

Burnaby (Head Offi ce) 3958 Myrtle Street Burnaby, BC V5C 4G2 Phone: (604) 435-1313 Fax: (604) 435-7677 Email: bursales@rsl.ca

Vancouver 132 West 2nd Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 1C2 Phone: (604) 872-7521 Fax: (604) 872-7460 Email: vansales@rsl.ca Coquitlam 2394 Canoe Ave Coquitlam, BC V3K 6C2 NEW LOCATION Phone: (604) 944-0441 Fax: (604) 944-0450 Email: coqsales@rsl.ca

Langley #102 – 6375 202nd Street Langley, BC V2Y 1N1 Phone: (604) 539-2290 Fax: (604) 539-2295 Email: lansales@rsl.ca Victoria 524E Culduthel Road Victoria, BC V8Z 1G1 Phone: (250) 475-6055 Fax: (250) 475-1985 Email: vicsales@rsl.ca

Kelowna 1885 Baron Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6W2 Phone: (250) 763-3114 Fax: (250) 861-1546 Email: kelsales@rsl.ca

Distributing Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning, and Heating Parts and Equipment to the HVAC and Refrigeration Trade.