Energy Manager

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ESX fills an event gap for energy managers

The Energy Solutions Expo addressed the needs of building management professionals responsible for saving money on electricity, natural gas and water for their businesses.

June 28, 2019  By  Peter Saunders


Energy Solutions Expo (ESX)Photo courtesy The Power Factory

At the end of May, I attended the Energy Solutions Expo (ESX) at the Grand Olympia Conference Centre in Stoney Creek, Ont. The trade show floor was busy and the breakout educational sessions were well-attended.

Those sessions, like this magazine, addressed the needs of building management professionals responsible for saving money on electricity, natural gas and water for their businesses. Topics ranged from intelligent lighting to compressed air system analytics, from advanced rooftop HVAC controls to peak demand avoidance and from on-site power generation to energy-saving retrofits. There was even a timely presentation about energy-efficiency best practices for the newly legal cannabis industry!

(You’ll find some of the ESX sessions reflected in future editions of our magazine, including features from Renteknik Group and Grundfos Canada.)

On the trade show floor, meanwhile, 54 vendors from A (ABB Canada) to Z (Z3 Controls) showcased an equally diverse range of technologies for the commercial, industrial, institutional, agricultural and multi-unit residential building (MURB) sectors.

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ESX may have benefited from an apparent void left by events previously organized by the utilities, such as Energy Into Action, a series that ended on Apr. 1 when the Ontario government announced changes to provincial conservation programs.

Another factor was the event’s location. Relatively far from Toronto, it attracted many of its attendees from regional centres, including nearby Hamilton, Ancaster, and St. Catharines. According to post-event surveys, the vast majority of participants rated ESX ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ and cited it as a successful use of their organizations’ time.

“Great work, keep it going!” commented one attendee. “The Energy Into Action events are history now. We need to keep this going!”

“This was truly one of the best events I’ve been to in the past few years,” said another. At press time, the show’s organizers at The Power Factory were planning a followup event within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with specific dates and a venue in Mississauga yet to be announced.

Considering more than 80% of the Stoney Creek attendees said they would be interested in attending the fall event, look for it to pull in the crowds, too.


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