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EMTF Saskatoon
Rob Dumont Energy Management Awards:

2015 to 2019:

    -  2019 Awards Winners

    -  2018 Awards Winners

    -  2017 Awards Winners

    -  2016 Awards Winners

    -  2015 Awards Winners

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The Rob Dumont Energy Management Awards

In June of 2015 the EMTF Saskatoon chapter decided to recognize and honor outstanding achievement of individuals and organizations in Energy Management. The awards are titled The Rob Dumont Energy Management Awards in honor of the well known and respected engineer who passed away in 2015.

Winners were selected from the list of nominees submitted to the EMTF Saskatoon Awards Review Committee led by Nathan Ziegler.

The 2018 winners & approved nominees by category are:

2018 Lifetime Achievement Award

Ann Coxworth M.Sc.

Ann Coxworth has been actively involved as a volunteer with the Saskatchewan Environmental Society for over 40 years; most of this time she also served on the Board of Directors. She has provided remarkable leadership on a wide variety of environmental issues including persuading the Government of Saskatchewan to adopt wind and solar power and to invest more in energy efficiency initiatives. She has reviewed dozens of environmental impact assessments over the years and provided valuable advice on how to reduce the environmental impacts of proposed industrial developments.

Ann has been willing to speak publicly on a number of issues with well-reasoned arguments that are carefully grounded in science. Her voice is taken very seriously by industry and government alike. Ann has been a constructive critic of the nuclear industry in Saskatchewan, generously using her academic background and deep knowledge of chemistry and radioactive materials to alert the public to important risks associated with uranium. She played a major role in advising the Saskatchewan Government, the federal government and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on how best to remediate mined-out uranium mine sites, including the former Gunnar mine site on the shore of Lake Athabasca.

Ann served on the board of the Meewasin Valley Authority for many years and contributed greatly to advancing Meewasin’s conservation ethic. She recently served on the Saskatchewan government’s committee to develop the Environmental Code for the province. Government officials who served with her have expressed admiration and respect for her work.

Ann embodies environmental sustainability in her personal life. She biked well into her 80s and travels as much as she can by public transportation. Ann has mentored dozens of young people who have volunteered or taken up paid positions at the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. She has played a very important role in encouraging young people to pursue careers with an environmental sustainability focus. Ann continues to come into the Saskatchewan Environmental Society two days a week to do research, advocacy, project development and administrative work. She has done all of this work on a strictly volunteer basis. She embodies public service at its very best. Ann was a close friend of Rob Dumont’s and shared his values and vision.

Project of the Year

The Project of the Year Award is presented to a specific project or product that has shown clear results in energy management. Candidates must demonstrate how the project or product has resulted in improving a measurable area of energy management. The project must be unique in its approach and/or extraordinarily effective at employing proven strategies and have high potential for replication by others.

Winner - Pinehouse Housing Corporation's Tiny Home Sixplex

Pinehouse Housing Corporation's Tiny Home Sixplex
Pinehouse Housing Corporation recently completed construction of the sixplex built in the isolated northern community of Pinehouse. This housing project is targeted at addressing homelessness and overcrowding in northern communities. The tiny home Vereco Smart Green sixplex, was designed by BLDG Studio and built by Pinehouse Housing Corp. The tiny homes are 385 square feet. Each unit has a bedroom, a washroom with a tub and shower, a kitchen area and a living area. There is also a washer and dryer in each unit.
There is a significant need in the northern communities to address homelessness and overcrowding in the communities. The housing problems are compounded even more by the high cost of heating in these communities.
The project would not be feasible without the energy efficient build features. 21% of the residents in Pinehouse pay more than 30% of their combined average annual household income towards housing. The development of energy efficient features will allow the residents to be more comfortable in their homes during the winter periods and to spend less of their income on heating. Energy efficiency is critical to the development of this strategy.

Other nominees for this catigory were:

Renewable Rides
On March 13, 2018, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) and partners launched Saskatoon’s first 100% solar powered electric vehicle car sharing program. Renewable Rides is an innovative program in which SES is bringing five (5) solar powered electric vehicles to the Saskatoon Car Share Co-operative’s fleet of cars. This is the first of its kind in Canada: a car share program, with electric vehicles, powered by 100% solar energy, available to all.
The SES partnered with the Saskatoon Car Share Co-operative, the SES Solar Co-operative, Sun Country Highway, Saskatoon Light & Power, the Saskatchewan Research Council, Exa Energy, Wardell Gillis Law, Affinity Credit Union, the Arrand Block, Michelangelo Marble & Granite, and Radiance Cohousing to deliver the project.
Solar power is being supplied by the SES Solar Co-operative, from a 37.8 KWdc solar installation on the roof of the new Radiance Cohousing Development at 475 Avenue L South in Saskatoon. The electricity is being virtually net metered across Saskatoon Light & Power’s distribution system to supply the five (5) electric vehicle charging stations in neighbourhoods across the city.

The Samaritan Project
The Samaritan Project is the nearly completed new home of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. The 28,500 ft2 building will house a new soup kitchen, a men’s emergency shelter, a free clothing store, a drive through donation garage, a volunteer training / break room, 17 low income suites for the hard-to-house and a second daycare. The building is 4 stories with a half basement. It is designed and built to passive house standards with R40 walls and R80 roof and includes a 30 kilowatt solar array on the roof. Conservative estimates predict that the operational/maintenance costs will be 70% less than a conventional building. The addition of a solar array, combined with high efficiency furnaces, hot water tanks, LED circuit lighting and energy efficient appliances throughout the building, is estimated to reduce the total power bill by 50%.
This new home was designed through BrightBuildings’ Michael Nemeth and built by Westridge.

Residential Project of the Year

The Residential Project of the Year Award is presented to a specific residential project that demonstrates clear results in improving multiple measurable attributes of energy management. Candidates must demonstrate how the residential project resulted in improving multiple measurable attributes of energy management. The project must be unique in its approach and/or extraordinarily effective at employing proven strategies, and has high potential for replication by others.

Winner - Evermore Homes - 1005 Melrose Ave

Evermore Homes - 1005 Melrose Ave
Evermore Homes is continuously evolving and improving construction techniques that have resulted in this home achieving the impressive result of 0.69 air changes per hour. This was achieved while using widely available construction materials and products, which did not unnecessarily increase the cost of the home. By achieving this level of performance without unduly increasing build cost, Evermore Homes is helping to make energy efficient construction accessible to the mass market. And even with all of the high-performance features, this home blends well with the aesthetics of its neighbourhood, which is of benefit to the community. Features included reusing material from previous home that was demolished, the used of R80 roof insulation and R36 in double wall construction, and R 20 underslab insulation. The home has LED lighting throughout, a High Efficiency natural gas boiler, and a 4 kilowatt Solar PV system.
The home at 1005 Melrose Ave was designed by Vereco Smart Green Homes and BLDG Studio, and built by Evermore Homes. Evermore Homes Inc. is the premier net zero and net zero ready home builder in Saskatoon. This project is Evermore Homes’ 10th Vereco Smart Green home build.

The other nominee for this catigory was:

Grasswood Estates Passive House
This is a two storey 2,378 square foot home with a full basement owned by Allison and Logan Lacelle. The house is situated on an acreage in Corman Park, just south of Saskatoon. The home is a Low-Energy Passive House designed by the owner, who wanted a family home to be as energy efficient as possible. The house was built with a superinsulated foundation walls (R63), Passive House wall framing (R65), and the attic has (R100) of cellulose insulation. A small air tight wood heater complements the interior design of the main floor, with LED lighting, drain water heat recov-ery, and a high efficient heating and ventilation heat recovery system. This home also has high performance windows and doors that provide passive solar gain in the winter, and are air tight to minimize heat loss. Passive House buildings are the most energy efficient buildings available with proven scientific methods used in the design and construction process.
The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) Energy Modeling was designed by Bright Buildings with the owner’s house plans that they desired for their family home. This is an all-electric house, (no natural gas) with a grid tied 5.4 kilowatt PV solar system for renewable electrical energy production. The Green Builder was contracted for the Passive House wall and roof framing portion of the building, after the foundation was completed. When tested for air leakage, the combined efforts of the owner and respective trades achieved an impressive 0.26 air change / per hour result from the blower door test.

Organization of the Year

The Organization of the Year Award is presented to an organization who has served as a strong leader in support of energy management in their sector or our community.

Winner - The Pimacihowin Project

The Pimacihowin Project
The Pimacihowin Project (Pimacihowin means ‘to make a living’ in Cree) is a unique education initiative for First Nation youth looking to pursue careers in plumbing, electrical, scaffolding, carpentry and construction industries throughout Saskatchewan. Youth are between the ages of 15-18 years of age and attending high school. Youth receive credits in Math Workplace and Appren-ticeship, Electrical, Career Work Experience, Carpentry and Construction, and Small Motors upon completion of semester modules.
The Pimacihowin Project elected to build a Vereco Smart Green home as an elder’s residence at Beardy’s Okemasis First Nation in 2016. The home was built by the students of Constable Robert Cameron High School at Beardy’s First Nation, over the past two years. The concept of a high performance house, built by the students at Beardy’s is an incredible achievement as this type of project brings pride and confidence to the people in this community.
The cost of the design, energy modelling, construction plans and materials was supplied by the following sponsors: CMHC, Got Mold, Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, BHP Billiton, Sask Polytechnic, the Home Depot, and Vereco Smart Green Homes. The design was completed by BLDG Studio and Vereco Smart Green Homes.

Leadership (or Energy Management Champion)

The Leadership Award is presented to an individual or team, who has served as a strong leader in support of energy management in their business or our community in the last year.
Candidates must clearly demonstrate how the individual has been exceptional in their support of energy management. This award is open to individuals or teams.

Winner - Kevin Hudson

Kevin Hudson - has taken a lead role in moving Saskatoon forward on renewable energy initiatives. Through Kevin’s leadership, hard-work, and perseverance these projects and initiatives have been achieved. Kevin’s recent accomplishments include the development and implementation of the Landfill Gas Collection and Power Generation System and facilitation of a solar photovoltaic demonstration component to this project. He was part of the team that launched the Renewable Rides program and initiated a virtual net metering process through Saskatoon Light & Power. In 2016, the Saskatoon Engineering Society recognized Kevin with the Engineer of the Year award. Kevin is focused on supporting the Saskatoon community to develop sustainable energy solutions. As Kevin has noted “If you can develop local renewable energy projects in in the community, or near the community, that benefits everyone”.

Other nominees for this catigory were:

Rob Thomas - Under Rob’s leadership, CNH Industrial Canada Ltd. (CNH Industrial) has continued to identify and implement various energy saving projects. He is a strong and openminded leader of the energy management team, and always is passionate about the energy conservation and efficiency at the facility.
In 2017/2018, CNH Industrial completed both a Building Automation System and Sub-metering projects partially funded by SaskPower and these projects saved the annual electricity of 1,194 MWh/Y (equivalent power to feed 135 homes per year). Since 2018, CNH Industrial has been installing six variable frequency drives in the paint line and it will save about 51 MWh of electricity annually. Further, CNH Industrial initiated an air quality sensor project to control the operating times of the dust collectors and it will save about 7 MWh of electricity on an annual basis. These projects are also partially funded by SaskPower’s Industrial Energy Optimization Program (IEOP).
The CNH Industrial Saskatoon facility was the first participant for SaskPower’s IEOP in 2012. Since then CNH Industrial has been the most proactive participant to identify and implement energy saving projects, and saved 4,562 MWh of annual electricity (equivalent power to feed 518 homes per year).

Jason Praski - is the principal at Exa Energy Consulting focused in helping his clients see how renewables (mainly solar power), energy storage, energy efficiency and GHG emission reductions can make or save them money. Jason has been a director on the SES Solar Co-operative since 2014 where he has been head of the projects committee. This role is time consuming and a significant commitment to the SESSC. Jason has spent countless hours defining the selection criteria, designing standard formats for SESSC Request for Proposals and the lease agreements with the SESSC location partners. He has played a key role in identifying and evaluating dozens of potential locations in and around Saskatoon and then negotiating lease agreements on the locations selected by SESSC. Jason has been instrumental in the selection of solar system providers to install systems at each location and has monitored the installations. Ron Lepage says "Jason is a natural leader and an incredible individual to work with. He is a gentleman with high values and morals. He is never scared to commit and always honours his commitments. I consider it my honour to call Jason a friend."

Carey Simonson - Professor Simonson is an internationally recognised expert on heat and energy recovery systems. He has authored or co-authored 138 articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has nine patents granted or pending.
One of the special characteristics of Professor Simonson’s research program is the close connection that he maintains to industry. Perhaps the most significant impact of his research program is the highly-qualified personnel that have come out of his laboratory. His achievements in this area are outstanding. He has completed 38 graduate students many of whom have gone on to take important roles in the industry with approximately 26 different organisations such as Nortek Air Solutions, SNC-Lavalin, Pratt & Whitney, and Stantec. In recognition of his outstanding HQP contributions, he received the 2017 Distinguished Graduate Supervisor Award, (one award each year) and the 2017 Graduate Students’ Association Teaching Excellence Award (one award each year). His students have won over one million dollars in scholarships and awards.

Dave Palibroda - is a prime example of someone who understands the importance of energy management and lives it every day in both his professional and home life. He gives generously of his time and is always the first person to make new members of the groups and organizations he is involved with, feel welcome. He is an avid cyclist and uses his bicycles as his form of transportation year-round. He has also initiated and/or been involved with numerous not-for-profit organizations such as Road Map 2020, a group consisting of Corporations, Institutions and Non-profits working together for a more sustainable Saskatoon, which Dave served as chairperson for several years; Saskatoon Cycles; Saskatoon Car-share Co-op, which Dave helped to found; Saskatoon Green Drinks, which Dave founded and has keep active for over 10 years.
Currently Dave works at the University of Saskatchewan.

Jeff Montgomery - Jeff (Calvados Holdings) has led the commercial building sector in Saskatoon by reducing emissions in several of his buildings. His most recent project was completed in 2018 at 401-33rd St W and included electrical, lighting, heating, ventilation, insulation and many other upgrades and improvements. The most visible, at least from above, is 44 kilowatts of solar panels covering most of the rooftop. That’s currently the largest solar installation in the Saskatoon Light and Power service area. The design has the added benefit of increasing the life expectancy of the roof to ‘indefinite’. Jeff has shared his expertise and his own renewable energy as a current board member and officer of the SES Solar Co-op. He continuously reaches out to his commercial building owner network to encourage them to install solar power on their own rooftops, using his buildings as examples and providing free advice. He is also leading the Solar Co-op’s 45 kilowatt solar PV project in Ness Creek which is currently under construction.

Education

The Education Award/Youth Scholarship is presented to an educational campaign, program, strategy, or a student project, to increase knowledge and action on energy management. Candidates must clearly demonstrate how their activities or project advanced the education of energy management or altered behaviors/practices.

Winner - Tommy Douglas Collegiate

Tommy Douglas Collegiate
Off the Grid - Tommy Douglas Collegiate's Off the Grid Program at just finished its inaugural year. The course is designed to engage grade 9 students in combating issues surrounding climate change and environmental justice. Students were in charge of designing and launching campaigns within the school to lower our ecological footprint and change the behaviour of the student and teacher body to reflect a more environmentally positive community.
In the 2017-18 school year, the program succeeded in creating a school/community garden, a composting campaign to reduce food waste, an energy reduction campaign with updated hallway monitors displaying energy and water consumption. The highlight of the campaign efforts was the successful installment of the school’s new solar photovoltaic system. This twelve panel install is the first of its kind for Saskatoon Public Schools. After the media picked up the story of what the students did, four other Saskatoon high schools are now looking to follow the same steps and strict criteria on best practice policy which are laid out by the Off the Grid Program .
Students are happy with the success of this year’s various campaigns but are hungry to do more for the school and surrounding community. They would use the Education Award to pursue new ideas in the school to reduce our ecological footprint and continue to work towards a more sustainable future.

Other nominees for this catigory were:

Brownell School
Replace Lights and Lights out in the Library - Brownell School grade 6/7 students measured energy use in different classes around the school. They picked the classes that used the most energy and designed action projects to educate people on why it is important to shut off the lights. They purchased lamps and LED lights to reduce the fluorescent light use in the library and in classrooms. Students purchased a lamp from Value Village and decorated it with information about how to save energy. The biggest success they had was in the library where their work means that the 32 fluorescent lights that were rarely ever shut off are now rarely turned on, replaced with LED lamps used in strategic locations. Library lighting was turned on at 8 am and left on until 4:30pm 5 days/wk. Instead of 32 fluorescents, now 3 LED lamps (55W total) provide light to the space.

Father Vachon School
Turn Off School Computers to Save Energy - Father Vachon School grade 6/7 students gathered data on how computers were used in their school. This group decided to look deeper at why the computers are kept running all the time especially when they were only using them for 6 hours a day.
They discovered that the computers were being left on overnight and the monitors appeared to sleep, but based on information from energy meters, the towers’ energy use appeared to stay constant. They calculated that they could save energy 18 hours a day as they only needed the computers for 6 hours a day, for 5 times a week, for 10 months.
With the help of Saskatoon Light and Power’s power meters, students calculated that one monitor costs approximately $2.78/month and one tower costs $5.73/month to leave running all the time. By turning off the computers in the computer lab (32 computers) at the end of each day, the group established that they could save the school board approximately $2,268 in a school year.

Queen Elizabeth School
Turn Lights Off, Make Use of Daylight and Unplug! - Queen Elizabeth School grade 7/8 students investigated energy consumption at their school. They initiated a lights off, blinds open campaign in each class, encouraged unplugging appliances to reduce phantom load, and realized a decrease in energy consumption. Students presented to each class on the importance of keeping lights off dur-ing the day and using natural light that comes in from the windows. Secondly, they informed students and teachers on the importance of turning off lights/lamps when not in use (should they choose to be using them throughout the day) as well as the importance of unplugging unused lamps and appliances.