Why do energy retrofits?
Energy retrofits help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Government of Yukon buildings. We're working with Green PI Inc to identify meaningful retrofit opportunities in YG’s building portfolio.
The project team visited several communities in fall 2022. On these visits, they conducted detailed energy assessments for 30 buildings. These buildings represent:
- 20% of our building portfolio; and
- individually produce more than 30 tonnes of emissions per year.
This project follows up on the 53 energy assessments in 2021. It also continues to deliver on our actions in Our Clean Future to:
- evaluate the energy performance of our buildings (H1); and
- implement energy retrofits that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (H2).
What are carbon reduction packages?
We’re developing carbon reduction packages for the first time. Our primary focus is on greenhouse gas reductions. However, a similar approach can be taken when targeting energy conservation, and is referred to as a deep energy retrofit. By bundling building retrofit projects, we can develop an implementation strategy that optimizes:
- greenhouse gas reduction; and
- project delivery resources.
We know there will be many challenges when we conduct multiple retrofits within the same buildings. Bundling the projects addresses these challenges and takes into account the:
- complexity of each project; and
- presence of many moving pieces.
Carbon reduction packages also encourage new innovative technologies. Bundling projects allows for solutions that meet building needs in a different and energy efficient way. Focusing on equipment inefficiencies in isolation promotes “like-for-like” replacements. This results in projects that replaced old equipment with newer versions of similar design.
With this new approach, we can think about how improving multiple parts of a building at the same time can bring extra benefits. For example if we add insulation to a building’s walls, the building will require less heat. Thus, we can replace the heating system with a smaller and even more energy-efficient one.
Carbon reduction packages allow us to look at the bigger picture. Instead of focusing on one thing, this approach looks at the whole building. By looking at the bigger picture, we can identify more impactful opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction. By considering all the parts together, we can finds ways to get even better results in :
- reducing greenhouse gases; and
- saving energy.
The bigger picture
This project is related to the following actions in Our Clean Future:
H1
Conduct retrofits to Government of Yukon buildings to reduce energy use and contribute to a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
H2
Conduct energy assessments of Government of Yukon buildings to identify opportunities for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions, with the first period of assessments completed by 2025 and the second period completed by 2030.