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Ontario’s Conservation Officer calls for “distributed leadership” in meeting targets

This recommendation is one of nine opportunities identified in the report entitled, Be the change to a culture of conservation.

It is intended to encourage broader energy conservation leadership across the province and to help Ontario to take action to meet some of the toughest energy savings targets in North America: reducing peak demand by 1,350 MW by the end of 2010 and by 6,300 MW by the end of 2025.

Love first publicly advocated the appointment of energy conservation officers in institutions and major businesses during Ontario’s first Energy Conservation Week in May. It was also raised at the Energy Excellence 2008 (ENEX08) conference and trade show in September, hosted by CLB Media, publishers of Green Business and Energy Management magazines.

The formal recommendation also mirrors one from the 2007 annual report, which called for appointing Municipal Energy Conservation Officers (MECOs) in every Ontario community. Since then, a growing and active working group of municipal energy conservation champions has been cultivated, and 15 individuals are now formally designated as “MECOs.”

“Every Ontario health care and academic institution, and leading businesses, should appoint an Energy Conservation Officer to champion their energy conservation efforts and to gain the multiple benefits of energy efficiency,” says Love.

“The economic landscape has changed dramatically,” he acknowledges. “But what I refer to as the ‘3E’ value of energy conservation remains strong. Energy conservation and energy efficiency support the economy, create employment, and protect the environment. Energy conservation must remain a priority for the province and for its citizens—our future depends on it.”

The report also identifies opportunities for the government to:

• ensure buildings supported through provincial funding or provincial organizations meet minimum energy-efficiency standards required of all buildings in 2012.
• increase resources and collaboration between Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Energy and Infrastructure towards improving energy efficiency of new and renovated buildings.
• ensure the fair implementation of in-suite metering in multi-unit residential buildings.

The complete report also offers an overview of: steps taken to implement proposals contained in earlier reports and results achieved to date; the government’s own conservation progress to date; the Ontario Power Authority’s proposals for energy conservation and demand management for the coming year, as well as an account of existing policy and legislation that may impede the adoption of conservation measures. Additionally, it contains a summary of the CECO’s efforts to develop a culture of conservation over the previous year and vignettes of other Ontario organizations’ energy savings accomplishments.

For more information visit www.conservationbureau.on.ca