Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) has recently announced ENERGY STAR certification will be available for multi-family high-rise buildings in Ontario through the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High-Rise (New Construction) Pilot Program. The new program aims to facilitate and incentivize energy efficient practices for new mid and high-rise buildings in Ontario.
The new pilot program will recognize buildings designed to be 15% more energy efficient than buildings only built to the standard provincial building code, with some other program requirements as well. Buildings seeking certification will be registered with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for monitoring and managing energy performance.
4 Energy Efficient Best Practices
NRCAN recommends 4 energy efficiency best practices:
1. Commit to An Integrated Design Process
Plan to utilize energy efficiency elements into the construction of your new building. Incorporate renewable energy systems and sustainable green design at the design phase to lower overall building use. Optimize systems to minimize future operating and maintenance costs.
2. Invest in Energy Efficiency Early in Your Building’s Life Cycle
Front load your building for success; Investing in energy efficient processes for a new construction typically costs less than implementing energy retrofits in the future.
3. Strive for High Standards of Excellence
Follow in Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) building standards, and aim for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
4. Include Commissioning in Your Construction Plan
Having the industry’s best hardware and software makes no difference if those systems aren’t calibrated correctly. Include commissioning in your new construction to ensure peak performance. Commissioning is the continual process of fine tuning and calibrating systems within a building, which can provide an average annual building energy savings of 10-15%.
How Can I Apply?
Looking for help in applying for the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High-Rise (New Construction) Pilot Program? QMC can help! From supplying best-in-class meters for measuring utility use, triple commissioning checks from our dedicated technicians across Canada, to MeterConnex™, our dedicated data analysis reporting software, we have the tools available to help you achieve energy efficiency.
MeterConnex is also approved for data exchange with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, allowing us to help our clients directly submit their building data to ENERGY STAR. Contact us today for help on your new or existing project.
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