Energy Efficiency News Residential
Nine finalists make the cut in 2013 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards

“The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards program provides a unique opportunity to build awareness of the environmental and economic savings that come with having a more energy-efficient home,” said Kaz Flinn, vice-president of corporate social responsibility at Scotiabank. “This year’s Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards finalists demonstrated exciting solutions that show how each of us can easily bring energy solutions into our own homes and save money.”

The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards program is unique in its focus on public awareness, say organizers. As part of the award criteria, all awards recipients must demonstrate capacity to generate public interest and excitement in energy efficiency through submitted products or solutions.

“More Canadian homeowners are looking for energy-saving solutions in response to rising costs,” said Laurie Simmonds, CEO and president, Green Living Enterprises. “Scotiabank is taking a leadership role by recognizing businesses, innovators and students implementing and developing energy-saving ideas that are also end-user friendly, and hold the potential for mass adoption.”

The finalists are:

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Business Leadership Award ($50,000)

• Ecobee for Home IQ: A Wi-Fi thermostat, online web portal and smart phone app that integrate directly with smart meters and time-of-use (ToU) electricity rates to help people understand, manage and reduce their energy consumption without sacrificing comfort.

• Enerpro Systems Corp./Olympic International Agencies: for Smartforme, an efficient and cost-effective building energy system that is integrated with advanced metering technology to measure and manage resource consumption to serve the needs of the development industry, municipal authorities and the real estate consumer.

• Lanefab Design/Build for Net-Positive Urban Infill, laneway houses: Integrated design and construction of small-scale, fully independent homes with energy efficiency, design quality and scalable sustainability while adding density to neighbourhoods and preserving existing community homes.

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Innovators Award ($15,000)

• CircuitMeter Inc. for CircuitMeter Residential Sub-metering Technology: A simple and affordable sub-metering system that identifies energy waste, operational anomalies and off-spec equipment behaviour to drive down energy costs by 27-34% in non metered multi-residential buildings.

• Quinzee: A web and mobile application that is gamifying and socializing energy use and enabling Ontarians with smart meters to be smarter homeowners. Utilizing consumer social benchmarking as a motivator for influencing efficient energy choices and behaviours, consumers can easily track and compare energy use free of charge.

• Toronto Atmospheric Fund for Energy Saving Performance Agreement: A customized non-debt financing product for building owners to demonstrate the viability of earning both financial and greenhouse gas reduction return on energy efficiency investments.

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Student Leadership Award ($10,000)

• Benjamin Gillies for FAACE Apartment Complex: Functional, Affordable, Attractive, Compact and Efficient (FAACE) Apartment Complex is a prototype for a new apartment complex that uses the best in modern design and furnishing innovation to provide more compact and efficient apartments that offer functionality, attractiveness and the ability to reduce each occupant’s carbon footprint in a number of ways.

• McGill University for The McGill Energy Project: A collaboration of students, faculty and staff that combined research, innovative technologies and teamwork to create targeted savings in residence buildings, laboratories and in heat and water networks to reduce McGill’s $20-million annual energy bill.

• Universite de Montreal, Faculte de l’amenagement, Ecole de design industriel for Boltzmann Residential Energy Storage: A thermodynamic water heater designed to be operated in synergy with a split system air-conditioner that provides an ingenious energy recovery system that allows for a significant reduction and levelling of electric consumption.

The winners of the $75,000 in award incentives will be announced at a gala ceremony on June 6, 2013 at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Along with the award incentives, winners of the 2013 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards will receive a sculpture created by goldsmith, crystal artist and designer Mark Raynes Roberts.