SFU receives Hydro’s top conservation award
Sam Dahabieh, 778.782.3556; dahabieh@sfu.ca
Candace Le Roy, SFU Sustainability Coordinator, 778.782.8914, 604.377.6206 (cell); candace_leroy@sfu.ca
BC Hydro has named Simon Fraser University a Power Smart Leader—its highest level of customer recognition—for sustained leadership in energy efficiency and conservation.
SFU received the award Oct. 25 at the eighth annual Power Smart Excellence Awards in Vancouver (www.bchydro.com/awards).
Since 2002, the university’s energy-conservation efforts have amassed 12 gigawatt hours in energy savings annually – enough to power 1,090 homes a year.
SFU “has not only consistently met its rigorous energy-saving targets, but has raised the bar for what Power Smart excellence truly is,” says BC Hydro president and CEO, Dave Cobb. “Their efforts make us confident that energy self-sufficiency by 2016 is fully realizable.”
Power Smart Leaders are a select group of BC Hydro customers that continuously demonstrate a best-in-class approach to strategic energy management and an ongoing commitment to energy conservation.
“We set a five-year energy reduction target of 10 per cent and saw a reduction of 3.5 per cent within the first year alone,” says Facilities Services operations director, Sam Dahabieh. He adds improvements in the efficient use of printers and photocopiers will further reduce electricity use by 15 per cent.
Other energy-efficient upgrades include an innovative campus outdoor lighting program and a project to fine-tune heating, cooling and ventilation systems to ensure that each system is performing as intended.
-30-