CITY HALL ONE OF THE GREENEST IN CANADA

BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

  MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM
  06 JUNE 2012

Fredericton city hall has been named one of the top 12 most energy-efficient city halls in Canada, according to the Toronto and Region Conservation Area town hall challenge.

Fredericton and Rothesay were the co-winners in the small town hall category. The category applies to communities which have a town hall of less than 4,500 square metres (50,000 square feet).

St. Catharines, Ont., won in the large town hall category.

“I am happy to see that our city hall performed so well in this challenge. The recognition is a testament to our commitment to reducing our corporate environmental footprint and being financially sustainable” said Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside.

Fredericton has the oldest city hall in Atlantic Canada still in continuous use. The three-storey, brick-and-concrete structure was built in 1876. It was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1984 because of its imposing exterior and the building’s importance to community life throughout its history.

The Town Hall Challenge is a program started by the Toronto and Region Conservation Area in 2003.

Municipalities from across Canada are invited to submit utility data on their town halls.

There were 60 municipal buildings that were included from every region in the country. The top 12 performers were identified and each participating municipality received a report on how their town hall ranked, its energy intensity per square foot and how much could be saved if it met a target of 20 ekWh (equivalent kilowatt hours) per square foot.

“A growing number of municipalities are leading the effort to lower energy use and cut emissions; however, there’s still work to be done with several using as much as three times more energy per square foot than other comparable facilities,” said Brian Dundas, co-ordinator of the mayors’ megawatt challenge program for the Toronto and Region Conservation Area.

“If all buildings using over 20 ekWh per square foot were to achieve the target of 20, they would each save on average $118,000 per year in utility costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions.”

Half of the top 12 community have energy management plans, but most don’t have defined energy targets.

The municipalities which had top performing buildings had the engagement of their council and senior management.

The report shows that the size of the municipality wasn’t important: some of the largest and smallest municipalities have buildings in the top. When it comes to energy efficiency of a building, its age has little impact on its performance.

Top 12 city halls

1. Town hall, Town of Rothesay, 17.1 ekWh/sq. ft. – co-winner – Small Town Hall Category

2. City hall, City of Fredericton, 17.3 ekWh/sq.ft. – co-winner – Small Town Hall Category

3. City hall, City of Castlegar, B.C., 18.0 ekWh/sq.ft.

4. City hall, City of St. Catharines, Ont., 21.0 ekWh/sq.ft. – Winner – Large Town Hall Category

5. City hall, City of Hamilton, Ont., 23.0 ekWh/sq.ft.

6. City hall, City of Dieppe, N.B., 23.3 ekWh/sq.ft.

7. Municipal hall, Resort Municipality of Whistler, B.C., 24.0 ekWh.sq/ft.

8. Civic centre, City of Mississauga, Ont., 24.3 ekWh/sq.ft.

9. Metro hall, City of Toronto, 24.5 ekWh/sq.ft.