Launched in 2001, the UBC ECOTrek project involved rebuilding and retrofitting the infrastructure of 288 academic buildings. In the four years prior to launch, UBC’s utility costs had doubled as a result of climbing energy prices. The project goal was to reduce energy and water consumption in core academic buildings, along with associated greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing the University’s energy costs. At that time, ECOTrek was the largest energy and water retrofit project ever to have taken place on a Canadian campus.

ECOTrek provided a mechanism to fund the renewal of campus facilities, and use new technologies to replace aging utility management infrastructure.

ECOTrek Project Improvements:

• Interior Lighting: replaced inefficient lighting with new fixtures and installed occupancy sensors
• Exterior Lighting: converted exterior incandescent and mercury vapour lights to efficient lighting and upgraded controls, to minimize on-time during daylight hours
• Steam Distribution: repaired deteriorated steam distribution and condensate return piping systems
• Central Steam Plant: installed new low nitrogen oxide (NOx) burners, conducted boiler control upgrades, and installed new feedwater pumps and water-side economizers to recover heat from the stack exhaust
• Chilled Water Systems: replaced chilled water systems that generate air conditioning with new, high-efficiency electric chillers
• Automated Building Controls: improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls to provide better temperature control and to schedule systems to operate only when required
• Metering: installed electricity, steam and water meters in campus academic buildings to quantify consumption and provide transparent information to building occupants
• Water Conservation: conducted changes to basins, toilets, urinals and water-cooled equipment to reduce the amount of water used on campus
• Staff Training: created new manuals and training for Operational staff to support and maintain new equipment and processes

The budget for ECOTrek was over $39 million, a little more than double UBC’s annual $17 million energy bill. BC Hydro provided incentives of nearly $4 million, contingent on the realization of projected electricity savings. The University supplied a loan for the remaining funds, to be repaid over a 24-year period, out of guaranteed utility savings of at least $2.6 million annually.

UBC also pursued savings by addressing general maintenance-related issues and launching staff and student awareness programs. These measures complemented UBC’s goal to institutionalize sustainability within the campus community.

MCW Custom Energy Solutions Ltd., a leading national energy service company, developed and delivered ECOTrek through an energy performance contract. MCW/CES conducted energy audits of 288 campus buildings.

ECOTrek sustainability targets:

• 20 per cent reduction in intensity of energy use
• 30 per cent reduction in water use
• Reduction of associated greenhouse gas emissions

The project construction phase ended in 2007/2008, and a monitoring and verification report was produced to ensure that the promised energy savings had materialized. BC Hydro and UBC’s Campus Sustainability Office verified the report.

ECOTrek results:

• in 2007/2008, total carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions from institutional buildings were reduced by 23 per cent per meter squared from 2000 levels (adjusted for growth)
• in 2007/2008, non-renewable energy consumption from institutional buildings was reduced by 23 per cent per meter squared against 2000 levels
• in 2007/2008, water consumption from institutional buildings was reduced by 35 per cent per meter squared against 2000 levels
• retrofitting the boilers in UBC’s steam plant resulted in nitrogen oxides (NOx)  emissions being 86 per cent lower in 2006 than in 2000

The ECOTrek program also eliminated an estimated $20 million from UBC’s accumulated deferred maintenance debt.

Although the six-year project has ended, a solid model has been created for UBC to implement other energy management initiatives. The project also resulted in a sub-metering infrastructure that allows UBC to analyze building performance and initiate programs to maintain buildings at an optimized state.  

The University’s job now is to maintain the energy and water savings achieved and develop further conservation opportunities.

Call to Action: Read our Energy Management Case Study and get the full scoop on ECOTrek.