Concordia’s energy efficiency efforts receive top honours from BOMA Quebec
Concordia’s energy management efforts continue to make waves!
Two years after the international BOMA Québec’s Building Energy Challenge recognized eight of the university’s buildings for reducing greenhouse gases, the province’s largest association of commercial property owners and managers named Concordia among the winners of its Building Energy Challenge (BEC 2.0).
Launched in 2018 and renewed four years later, BEC 2.0 is a competition aimed at reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings across Quebec.
This year’s awards highlighted organizations that achieved impressive results in energy efficiency throughout 2023. Concordia’s Grey Nuns (GN) Building won the Immeubles résidentiels à logement de plus de 20 000 m2 category.
“We are incredibly proud to have been recognized by BOMA Québec for our continued commitment to energy efficiency,” says Marie-Claude Lavoie, associate vice-president of Facilities Management.
“This award is a testament to our team’s hard work in reducing energy consumption by the Grey Nuns Building, particularly through our transition from gas to electric heating. By making this shift, we’ve lowered our greenhouse gas emissions and set a new standard for sustainability on campus.”
‘A leader in energy efficiency’
Completed in January 2023, the GN Building project involved the installation of more efficient boilers, including an electric boiler that uses off-peak electricity. The initiative received funding from the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education as part of its Plan quinquennal des investissements universitaires 2022–2027.
To be considered for BEC 2.0 awards, Concordia uploaded energy data for its major buildings into the EnergyStar Portfolio Manager, a benchmarking tool that tracks and optimizes energy use. The tool accounts for weather variations and provides a performance for each building.
Concordia then submitted this data to BOMA, which evaluated the energy performance and selected the award winners.
“Concordia has long been a leader in energy efficiency,” says Brendan O’Neill, manager of internal expert services for Facilities Management.
“This award recognizes a significant reduction in energy use per square metre in the Grey Nuns Building. What’s more, the project aligns with ministerial targets for the higher education sector.”
To learn more about Concordia’s efforts to improve building performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, visit the climate change section of the Sustainability Action Plan.
