The Town Hall Challenge
Media Release
For Immediate Distribution
Town Hall Challenge Reports on Canada's Most Energy Efficient City and Town Halls
- Town Hall Challenge demonstrates municipal leadership through better building performance -
(TORONTO, December 8) Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), today released the top 15 most energy efficient town/city halls in Canada from the Town Hall Challenge, an initiative of the Mayors' Megawatt Challenge, a program managed since 2003 by TRCA. The challenge called on all municipalities across Canada to submit their utility data on their town halls. There were 60 municipal buildings that were included from every region in the country. The top 15 (top 25%) performers were identified and each participating municipality received a report on how their town hall ranked, its energy intensity per square foot and how much could be saved if it met a target of 20 ekWh per sq. ft.
"City and town halls are at the heart of every municipality, and should be their flagships of sustainability," said Brian Dundas, Coordinator, Mayors' Megawatt Challenge Program, Toronto and Region Conservation. "A growing number of municipalities are leading the effort to lower energy use and cut emissions, however there's still work to be done with several using as much as three times more energy per square foot than other comparable facilities. If all buildings using over 20 ekWh per sq.ft were to achieve the target of 20, they would each save on average $118,000 per year in utility costs and associated GHG emissions."
The 2010 Top 15 Town/City Halls are:
1. City Hall, Town of Ladysmith, BC 11.5 ekWh/sq.ft.
2. Town Hall, Town of Rothesay, NB 14.1 ekWh/sq. ft.
3. Civic Complex, City of Pickering, ON 15.0 ekWh.sq.ft.
4. City Hall Annex-Vancity, City of Vancouver, BC, 17.2 ekWh.sq.ft.
5. City Hall, City of Fredericton, NB, 17.3 ekWh.sq.ft.
6. City Hall, City of Castlegar, BC, 18.0 ekWh.sq.ft.
7. City Hall, City of Hamilton, ON, 19.9 ekWh.sq.ft.
8. Niagara Region Headquarters, Niagara Region, ON, 20.9 ekWh.sq.ft.
9. Metro Hall, City of Toronto, ON, 21.2 ekWh.sq.ft.
10. City Hall, City of St. Catharines, ON, 21.3 ekWh.sq.ft.
11. City Hall, City of Richmond, BC, 22.5 ekWh.sq.ft.
12. City Hall, City of Dieppe, NB, 23.3 ekWh.sq.ft.
13. Municipal Hall, Resort Municipality of Whistler, BC, 24.0 ekWh.sq.ft.
14. Civic Centre, City of Mississauga, ON, 24.2 ekWh.sq.ft.
15. Administrative Centre, York Region, ON, 24.9 ekWh.sq.ft.
"I am happy to see that our City Hall performed so well in this challenge. The recognition is a testament to our commitment to reducing our corporate environmental footprint and being financially sustainable" said Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside.
The top 15 had an average building energy use 19.7 ekWh per sq.ft., about half had energy management plans, and most do not have established energy targets, though some are incorporating them into plans, particularly those with FCM's Partners for Climate Protection. Most have green teams or committees to help with occupant awareness and better behaviour practices and many work with their local hydro utility companies. The municipalities which had top performing buildings had the engagement of their council and senior management.
"We were very pleased to perform so well in the Town Hall Challenge. We asked that our community find ways to become more sustainable in their businesses and homes and it's essential that we as a municipality lead by example," said Doug Dickerson, Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee.
The report also shows that the size of the municipality wasn't important: some of the largest and smallest municipalities have buildings in the top. When it comes to energy efficiency of a building, its age has little impact on its performance. Of the top 15, only four buildings were built in this century while five were built before the 1970s.
For the complete Town Hall Challenge Report please go to: http://www.trca.on.ca/townhallchallenge
With more than 50 years of experience, TRCA helps people understand, enjoy and look after the natural environment. TRCA's vision is for The Living City - where human settlement can flourish forever as part of nature's beauty and diversity. For more information, call 416-661-6600 or visit us at www.trca.on.ca
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Media contact:
Rowena Calpito
Toronto and Region Conservation
T: 416.661.6600 Ext. 5632
E: rcalpito@trca.on.ca
Download the full report: Town Hall Challenge - Full Report
 Richmond British Columbia City Hall |
Ever wonder how your city hall stacks up across North America on energy efficiency?
A growing number of municipalities are leading the effort to lower energy use and cut emissions. City and town halls are at the heart of every municipality, and should be their flagships of sustainability.
The Town Hall Challenge identifies those town and city halls that are the top performers in energy use. It is open to cities and towns across North America and there is no cost to participate.
You only need to contribute one year of energy use data and a basic profile of your city or town hall. For this you will receive a report showing how your building compares, and highlighting areas for improvement.
Top performers will be recognized and profiled in the spring of 2011.
The Challenge
There is a remarkably wide range of energy intensity (energy used per square foot) of town and city halls. Most higher intensity facilities have considerable potential to lower energy use and costs and to cut emissions. The starting point for improvement is knowing where you stand.
The chart shows the total energy performance of 25 city and town halls and other municipal administration buildings, with several using as much as three times more energy per square foot than other comparable facilities. By taking part in the Town Hall Challenge you will learn where you fit in this range, and gain invaluable insight on how to make improvements. All benchmark results will be normalized for weather differences and other material variables between the buildings.
Recognizing Top Performance
Get your 2010 information in by March 18, 2011 to receive your individual report. Municipalities which are in the top quartile (top 25%) will be recognized in the Town Hall Challenge report in the spring 2011. All top performers will be contacted prior to publication. All submitted information will be kept confidential and only published in an aggregated, anonymous form.
How to Participate
It's easy to participate in the Town Hall Challenge and there's no cost. Here are the three steps:
- Contact Brian Dundas at (416) 661-6600 ext 5262, or bdundas@trca.on.ca to participate and he will email you the Excel workbook file for you to complete or download the workbook here.
- Enter your 2010 energy billing data, the area of your town hall, and a simple building information profile into the workbook and email it back.
- We will send your Town Hall Challenge individual report which will show where your building stands and areas for improvement.
The top 25% of municipalities will be contacted for recognition in the Town Hall Challenge report in the spring 2011.
For more information contact Brian Dundas at (416) 661-6600 ext 5262, or bdundas@trca.on.ca
The Town Hall Challenge is an initiative of the Mayors' Megawatt Challenge, a program managed since 2003 by The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
The Mayors' Megawatt Challenge is a collaboration among large and small municipalities, working together to lower their own energy use, emissions and operating costs while demonstrating leadership towards more sustainable communities. Members manage data, assess their energy and environmental performance and track savings, using the largest web-based building performance system in Canada. They share knowledge and best practices through workshops to help plan, implement and verify improvements.
Visit the Town Hall Challenge on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Town-Hall-Challenge/135841679810725
