With cool hand, Mayor Bloomberg helps paint town white for energy efficiency

BY ADAM LISBERG AND BOB KAPPSTATTER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, October 14th 2010, 4:00 AM

Florescu for News

Volunteers from NYC Service cover E. 146th St. Bronx rooftop with a white coating to help reduce cooling costs and energy use.

But he was covering a rooftop and not a scandal. Hizzoner wielded a paintbrush to slap a reflective white coating to the 1 millionth square foot of rooftop as a part of the NYC °CoolRoofs program.Mayor Bloomberg found himself involved in a whitewash Wednesday.

Trading his business suit for sneakers, jeans and an orange T-shirt, Bloomberg and other officials went to the roof of theNew York City Housing Authority's Betances Development in the South Bronxto publicize the milestone.

With help from the Buildings Department, more than 1,500 volunteers organized by NYC Service - the mayor's volunteer initiative - have added the reflective coating to more than 340,000 square feet of government buildings and 70,000 square feet of NYCHA rooftops alone, to help reduce cooling costs, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Officials predict the program will help the city's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, a prime goal of PlaNYC, the city's comprehensive sustainability plan.

"By simply applying a reflective, white coating, we can reduce rooftop temperature by up to 60 degrees, which translates into reduced cooling costs and reduced carbon emissions," said Bloomberg.

The mayor added that homeowners and landlords need to seriously think about the benefits - reducing their energy costs by 25% or more.

"Next time you get your Con Ed bill, say, 'Hey, wait, maybe I should do it. ... The landlords get paid back so quickly. This is in their interests. It's sort of a no-brainer."

A roof with reflective, white coating - known as a cool roof - absorbs 80% less heat than traditional dark colored roofs and can lower indoor temperatures by 10 to 20 degrees on hot days, reducing the need for air conditioning - and reducing the potential for brownouts and blackouts.

If all roofs were similarly coated, officials said it could drop the city's overall ambient air temperature by 1 degree.

That may sound small, but because of all its concrete and roadways and general lack of green space, officials said the city suffers from an urban heat island effect, with temperatures anywhere from 5 to 7 degrees higher on hot days than the surrounding region. In the South Bronx, it can stretch up to 10 degrees 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/10/14/2010-10-14_cool_hand_mike_helps_paint_town_white_for_energy_efficiency.html

Safe green energy for South Africa shanty town families

Oct 12, 2010 05:16 PM

Four thousand families in South Africa’s largest and poorest township now have safe supplies of heat and light through a green energy project.

Khayelitsha, a shanty town 30 km from central Cape Town, is home to half a million people about 40per cent of whom are children.

With no access to electricity, many families are forced to turn to firewood, coal or paraffin to heat their homes and to cook with. Fires were a constant risk.

But a backed project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the lives of vulnerable people has given 4,000 families clean sources of heat and light.

Mother of six, Nodliwa Nozipho, is one of them. Nodliwa whose husband died of Aids was given a government-subsidised house with a solar water heater, ceiling insulation and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The domestic worker had been worried she would not be able to afford the heating bills on her salary but the new home has brought huge energy cost savings, among other benefits.

"I have also seen an improvement in the thermal performance of my house, reducing the need for indoor heating with fuels such as paraffin, which cause respiratory problems and are a fire risk," she said.

"This was a severe challenge to families when trying to heat or cool our homes. The resulting condensation in the buildings also meant that we were living with up to three litres of water dripping on our belongings every day," Nodliwa told Reuters news service.

A lack of proper ceilings and insulation meant families were spending around 10 South African rand, nearly a pound a night to heat their homes in winter, said Carl Wesselink from South South North Projects Africas’ Clean Development Mechanism.

"The condensation and warm, damp conditions also proved a breeding ground for diseases, especially tuberculosis," Wesselink said.

The project was set up under the Kyoto Protocol, and international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It has meant families in Khayelitsha, have not only managed to cut their electricity costs by 35 per cent a year, but are also doing their bit to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Their new homes are five per cent warmer in winter and five per cent cooler in summer, allowing a saving of up to 40 percent on electricity bills, he added. They also cut down air pollution, helping prevent pulmonary pneumonia, carbon monoxide poisoning and other respiratory illnesses. And there has been a drop in the number of fatal fires in the area.

http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/safe-green-energy-for-south-africa-shanty-town-families

Cooper Union so green it's platinum

Newest building at the school that helped give Thomas Edison his engineering chops is a winner in cutting energy use; conservation on a tight budget. 

By Brian Chappatta

Mario Morgado, courtesy of Cooper Union

Cooper Union, in the East Village

In an ironic twist of fate, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the school that helped teach Thomas Edison the skills he used to harness and transmit vast amounts of energy more than a century ago, is now officially among the leaders in reducing its use.

The East Village-based school's new building at 41 Cooper Square has become the city's first academic structure to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's highest honor: LEED Platinum certification.

The nine-story, 175,000-square-foot, full-block facility was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architecture and the firm of Gruzen Samton. It is one of three academic buildings in the state to receive platinum status, and one of only 38 LEED Platinum higher education and campus projects worldwide, according to U.S. Green Building Council data.

As part of PlaNYC 2030, announced in 2006, Cooper Union became one of a handful of academic institutions to promise Mayor Michael Bloomberg to reduce its carbon footprint. Cooper Union pledged a 30% decrease by 2017. With seven years to go to that date, Cooper Union President George Campbell said his school currently exceeds that goal by 10%.

“We felt that it was our responsibility to make a building that was friendly to the environment,” said Mr. Campbell, who holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. “It reflected our value system.”

In addition to being good for the environment, the new building also will be good for Cooper Union's bottom line, Mr. Campbell said. For openers, he said that the school had been determined to avoid any “outrageous” costs that might be associated with producing a greener building. In the end, he said, only about $1.5 million of the $150 million total development cost of the building went toward extra green features. Those lower costs will mean shorter pay-back periods.

A comprehensive analysis of the Cooper Union's co-generation plant, for instance, showed it would pay for itself in five to seven years by yielding major reductions in energy use.

“When you become 40% more efficient, you reduce energy costs by 40%,” Mr. Campbell said.

Mario Morgado, courtesy of Cooper Union

Interior of Cooper Union, in the East Village.

The LEED ranking is based off of five measures: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Each structure earns points based on its performance in each of these categories, with platinum-level sites “going above and beyond,” said Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Cooper Union Building excelled in water quality, earning five out of five points, Ms. Katz said. It also netted 39 out of a possible 46 points in the sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, and indoor environmental quality categories. The main weakness came in materials and resources—the Cooper Union Building got just six of 13 points.

“The rating system is designed to be holistic; it's not based on one category,” Ms. Katz said. “It's looking at the building in a variety of different ways. Some places are going to strategize based on their strengths.”

Among other green features, the building reuses water from its green roof to help fuel its low-flow plumbing devices for a total savings of more than 600,000 gallons of water per year. The deck surface of the roof has a layer of low-maintenance plantings, which acts to help in “rainwater harvesting.”

The building's most visible green feature is its semi-transparent mesh screen that coats its windows, helping to regulate temperatures during the summer and winter and minimize use of air conditioning and heating.

“We've shown that it can be done with effective design and effective use of materials,” Mr. Campbell said. “We hope that others will take heed of this and build their future buildings accordingly.”

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20101014/REAL_ESTATE/101019929

Stop to go! Philly trains to recycle brake energy

By PATRICK WALTERS (AP) – 9 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA — For years, subway cars have been able to recycle some of the energy created when they brake, turning it into electricity to help power the train or others running on the rails at the same time.

The problem is it's a short-term benefit, with much of the energy wasted by the time the train stops braking. Now, transit agencies in Philadelphia and other cities across the country are hoping to harness that lost energy by storing it in batteries and putting it back into the system, something that could potentially save millions of dollars in energy costs.

"What we're wasting here is the kinetic energy of a moving train," said Andrew Gillespie, chief engineer of power for Philadelphia's transit agency, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. He estimates that 50 to 70 percent of that power is wasted.

The idea of storing the power is an enticing one for transit agencies, especially with ridership up and systems expanding. Many of their systems are getting overwhelmed and power costs are spiking.

The Metropolitan Transit Agency in New York is in the early stages of storing such power, while agencies in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., are looking at doing so, too.

What some electric trains do now is take the resistance created by braking and turn it into energy that goes back into the train car's motor, or onto the third rail where other trains running on the tracks at the same time can use it.

But only about 30 percent of that power is captured, Gillespie estimated, with the rest dissipating, unharnessed.

Working with a private energy company and a $900,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, SEPTA is setting out on a pilot program along one of its train lines that would use a massive battery system to store the energy created. Then, that power could be used on the system later or possibly be put back into the grid.

The test run is slated for the Letterly power substation on the Market-Frankford line in Philadelphia's Kensington section.

After it's complete, likely sometime next year, the agency will start testing it and deciding whether to expand the effort to its other 37 electrical substations, Gillespie said.

Ultimately, SEPTA hopes to save up to 10 percent on power costs on a system that takes $22 million a year to power.

The American Public Transit Association is studying the potential benefits of what is known as "wayside storage," storing such energy somewhere other than the rails or the car itself, both of which have limited capacity, said Martin Schroeder, APTA's chief engineer.

"Instead of burning it up on top of the car, you put that additional current into battery storage," he said. The biggest challenge, Schroeder said, will likely be the costs of the batteries, which can be hundreds of thousands of dollars each.

In conjunction with Conshohocken-based Viridity Energy, SEPTA hopes to start construction on its storage devices in 2011.

SEPTA wants to see how it works at one substation first. It will gather data by the end of next year and monitor the energy savings to ensure costs aren't somehow subsequently going up elsewhere in the system, Gillespie said.

"SEPTA needs a storage device so they can avoid wasting energy that their trains produce," said Audrey Zibelman, president and CEO of Viridity Energy.

The project could also allow SEPTA to sell surplus energy to PJM Interconnection, which operates the regional grid, Zibelman said. That could potentially generate $500,000 from one storage battery.

"It has a double benefit," she said.

But Schroeder said that might also involve making more and potentially costly changes to the substation.

"There's some trickiness in how the substations work," he said.

That's just one of many things that still need to be studied before transit agencies can know how much braking energy can actually be recycled, and how much money can potentially be saved, he said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i0iR1jXuuEaedRC9y2oDDu7reDtAD9IMCJD00?docId=D9IMCJD00

Seattle and Portland leaders don’t want to be ‘global’ mayors 

BY Jonathan Hiskes

4 OCT 2010 2:46 PM

Does Portland have Needle envy?Images: subindie (Seattle, left) and Aaron Hockley (Portland)Seattle has a Portland-inferiority complex. Portland is hipper, friendlier, greener, less corporate, less formal, less hurried than its larger Northwest cousin, the regional mythology goes. You can pick up on stereotype from any number of young semi-professionals who settled for Seattle after failing to find work in Portland. Architect Dan Bertolet runs through the evidence for Portland's environmental superiority: it has more streetcars, more bike boxes, more Energy Star buildings, more green roofs, a tougher climate action plan. It recently landed the U.S. headquarters for Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas. It's not building a car-and-truck tunnel along its waterfront that would commit some $4 billion to auto-only transportation over the next century. But really, consensus says, it's just a better vibe in Portland, despite Seattle's sizable green ambitions. (The city council and a band of organizers want to make it North America's first carbon neutral city.)

So the hopes were high for a bare-knuckled "who's greener?" argument between Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who spoke together at a fundraiser for the "solutions journalism" nonprofit Worldchanging on Friday night. Alas, the mayors played nice. "I'm not going to play that game," McGinn said beforehand, referring to the Seattle vs. Portland debate.

Instead, the two engaged in a discussion with Worldchanging editor and bright green urbanism evangelist Alex Steffen about how to run a city in a warming, recession-hobbled world. Steffen encouraged the two cities to think of themselves as global leaders. By mid-century, 70 percent of the world's population will live in urban areas, he noted. It's the duty of cities with top-flight universities, think tanks, and engineering firms -- places like Seattle and Portland -- to develop a model of livability the rest of the world can emulate.

But Adams and McGinn were hesitant to talk up their role as "global" mayors. McGinn said his major initiatives since taking office in January were about schools, employment, and transportation. He hasn't launched anything called "Save the Planet," he noted (though he gained most of his politicking experience at the local Sierra Club chapter). He may have learned the keep-it-local lesson from the man he defeated last fall, Greg Nickels, who started the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Voters resented what they perceived as a lack of attention to local issues (see "America's greenest mayor, laid off and looking on").

Adams said he was careful not to get caught up in "monument building," reminding that Portland has 10.4 percent unemployment. "If you only seek to succeed in the future, you'll never get there," he said.

It made for some interesting if friendly pushback against Steffen, a global- and future-minded thinker (the event was called "Future City"). One of Steffen's recurring themes is that we don't just need sustainability eventually, we need it now. It needs to be done with a scope, scale, and speed far more aggressive than we've done so far. He made this point in a preview essay for the night:

We like to ride our bikes (or talk about it at least), buy our local organic food, mention the latest green building, donate to environmental groups, go hiking or kayaking on the weekends. Yet the simple fact is that our lives are profoundly unsustainable, both in the sense that if everyone on the planet lived like we do, our combined impact would be catastrophic, and in the sense that the cities we've built are extremely vulnerable to the climate chaos, resource disruptions and economic turbulence we know lies just ahead. Our cities as they are now cannot last, period.

The important projects, then, are the ones that address global problems and build local prosperity at once. Things like the money-saving retrofitting program Clean Energy Works Portland, which is expanding elsewhere in the state. And McGinn's substantive Walk Bike Ride transportation plan, which the mayor has pushed to fund even during a budget crisis.

Even Steffen acknowledged that very few of us wake up thinking about the slums of Mumbai or melting ice caps. We think about getting kids to school and planning for dinner. Figuring out better, greener, affordable ways to take care of those everyday challenges seems to be the task for the green urbanism crowd, and for mayors who want to keep their jobs.

Decisions, Decisions

Choosing an ESCO

By Hannah Fons

According to Mark Loughlin, vice president and CFO of FFC Energy in Brooklyn, energy was deregulated because monopolies in the market had energy customers up in arms. “The consumers complained that they didn't have a choice in providers.”Saving money is always a top concern of any co-op or condo board, but with tough economic times and high fuel prices, saving on energy costs can be a challenge. Thanks to deregulation of the New York energy market a little over a decade ago, boards and managers have a wide array of options for energy delivery—many of which can yield significant savings.

So what's the best way to choose a new energy service company (ESCO) and find a good deal, if you're looking to switch?

Doing the Research

If you're just starting out in the process of researching ESCOs, a good place to begin might be the New York State Public Service Commission's (PSC) website at www.dps.state.ny.us, or Con Edison's at www.poweryourway.com. There you can find a listing of current ESCOs eligible to sell energy in New York. It's a good idea to check the price per kilowatt hour of several companies you may be considering to give you a beginning basis for comparison, and see if the ESCO is offering any incentives to new customers, and if the prices quoted include taxes. Currently, Con Ed under its PowerMove program is offering a 7 percent discount to customers that switch. Check the website for more information.

Irwin Levine, vice president of business development for Great Eastern Energy in Brooklyn says, “Boards and managers should also have a history of the ESCO; they should know their credibility, their track record, as well as the products and services that are offered; it’s also good to know the company’s mission, and what exactly they’re trying to convey to board members. When you go on a board to make the proper decision, they should be fully informed and educated.”

The process of switching itself is very simple, according to Joe Graham, co-principal of Long Island-based JJT Energy. “It’s very, very simple. You just give your account number and say, ‘Yes, I'd like to switch’.”

According to Levine, “The person that needs to be involved [in switching ESCOs] is only the person who is authorized to agree to the contract. That's it. No attorney or managing agents are necessary. The idea is to keep the process as transparent and straightforward as possible. That gives the customer the comfort and the understanding they need to work with an ESCO properly and save money.”

That simplicity has its drawbacks, however, says Graham. “If you do it over the telephone and you say yes to a telemarketer, they'd consider that as good as a contract, because you'd be on a variable rate. They take your account number, send it to the utility, and next month you'd be switched. You might never notice the difference unless you look at your bill, under the ‘Commodities’ portion, it'll say whoever is servicing you and where it's coming from. It'll also tell you your price per therm and the therms you use.”

New York utilities offer special programs to assist you with switching to an ESCO: Con Edison's "Power Your Way" program, National Grid's "New Choices" program, and Central Hudson's "Customer Choice" program. Once you select a rate plan, your new energy service supplier and your local utility coordinate everything else. You will begin receiving electricity and/or natural gas from your new supplier typically within 15 to 45 days, depending on your billing cycle. There will be no disruption in your service.

Pricing Options

There are a few different options when deciding on the price you're going to pay for utilities. According to Graham, you may opt for a bill with a fixed price, or a specific rate for a specified period of time. For example, an ESCO may give you a quoted price of eight cents per kilowatt hour for a period of one year. That price won't change for the entire length of the contract. This is beneficial if prices elsewhere are increasing during the year. On the other hand, if prices drop, you're still locked into the now-higher rate, and you must honor your contract at that price. However, if you've chosen the fixed rate, your ESCO may give you the option to renew at a more favorable rate. The pros suggest that if possible, see if you are able to negotiate the price before committing to a particular utility company.

Another option is paying the "index price," which is a discount off the current Con Ed rate. For instance, you may find an ESCO that will give you a one percent discount off the rate Con Edison charges. The index price will give you the ability to enjoy the downs of the market while still being open to exposure if prices rise. How much you pay is dependent on what the market does. Many ESCOs won't guarantee that you'll save money unless you buy at an index price.

Some energy industry professionals recommend that you let the season help determine what type of a rate you should choose. In summer months, go with a fixed price—with air conditioners and other appliances in frequent use—a fixed price can help keep bills under control. In the winter, however, buying power at an index price will help you take advantage of the fluctuations in the market.

Another option is to consult your building's management company, which may be looking to aggregate some of their buildings under the same ESCO. A third-party aggregator may be able to negotiate better terms of service with 20 buildings versus your one building. A downside to this is that your building would be lumped together with several others, and may not enjoy such specialized service.

If you already have a contract with one provider and wish to switch, says Graham, there are options. “If they are on a variable rate contract with the Public Service Commission (PSC) there is a 30-day out clause in the contract. They can turn around and send their ESCO provider a letter saying they wish to switch, or go to back Con Ed or switch to company X, and they have to be released. And if they're not, if they still have a problem a few months later, they contact the PSC and lodge a complaint—and trust me, they'll get released right away.”

Conversely, Graham continues, “On a fixed contract, if someone buys a 12-month fixed contract and in month five of that contract they say, ‘Well, rates went down and I feel that it's not working for me,’ Sorry, but you bought a fixed contract because you wanted to lock down a price. We laid out a credit line and deposit to secure that price for you, so that contract stays in force. If you want to get out, then there is a penalty to pay.”

Your Bill

How much that penalty is depends upon a number of factors, but would probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 25 percent of what was laid out on deposits and other sums.

Switching ESCOs will usually result in a change in the billing process. Now, instead of receiving one bill from Con Ed, you may receive two bills: one from Con Ed, and the other from your new provider. This is not a mistake: Con Ed will still read the meter and charge for delivery. The third-party ESCO supplies the power and also bills you.

Your savings may also be in the form of sales tax on the delivery portion of your bill, which you may not even notice unless you know to look for it. That doesn’t mean the savings aren’t there however, says Graham.“You could save anywhere from about eight to 12 percent.”

Not everyone who looks to switch ESCOs is looking for outright savings, however. Sometimes, a customer is more in search of stability in his or her bill. Some customers may be paying more than market rate, but knowing approximately how much they're going to spend each month helps keep a budget in check, and may help avoid surprises, such as unexpectedly-high bills during those hot summer months. For some, that advance knowledge is more valuable than a less-certain dollar amount saved.

Before You Sign on the Dotted Line

In order to determine whether switching your ESCO is worth it, your board/management team might want to consider speaking with a consultant who can provide you with a monthly or quarterly analysis of your bills and give you insight into the bigger picture: Are you saving money? Are you currently utilizing the best type of service for your building? Without a long-view familiarity with the market, it could be a tough call.

And once you are a customer, it's not guaranteed that your rates will stay the same from year to year, cautions Graham. “At the end of the day, [the ESCO] controls the number they put into the system to charge you. So they may tell you they’re going to save you 10 percent for three months, let's say. Then when you're not looking, they may creep your price up and be the same as National Grid or Con Ed. I tell people, buyer beware: check your bills, check your numbers, pay attention. If you do, you do save money.”

For most buildings, the cost of energy is a significant expense. The good news is, as a consumer, you can take control of your energy future. Take the time to understand the opportunities available to you. If you think you might be able to save your building a substantial amount of money by switching ESCOs, then it's well worth the effort of researching different suppliers and deciphering two monthly bills. If the savings are negligible, or if you think the paperwork and extra vigilance may offset the benefits of saving a little money, you might just be happier staying put. It all boils down to awareness and comparing options.

http://cooperator.com/articles/2136/1/Decisions-Decisions/Page1.html

Avoiding urban sprawl could reduce pollution, boost economy: report

 

 

BY MIKE DE SOUZA, POSTMEDIA NEWS OCTOBER 5, 2010

 

 

 

 

Former B.C. premier and QUEST spokesman Mike Harcourt (file photo).

Photograph by: Darren Stone, Victoria Times Colonist

OTTAWA — Steering away from urban sprawl in Canada’s cities and communities would significantly reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions while boosting the economy, says a new report to be released Tuesday.

The study, published by a coalition of industry and government stakeholders, warns that a business-as-usual scenario could wind up costing billions of dollars and lock the country into a path that ensures higher energy consumption and pollution.

“Unlike many other GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions reduction strategies . . . many of these policies and actions can be enacted effectively and independently by local (municipal) governments, provided that they are empowered to do so,” said a summary of the report, obtained by Postmedia News. “This allows our communities to make a substantial contribution to GHG emission and energy use reductions, even in the absence of significant federal action.”

The coalition group, Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow, spearheaded the study that was conducted by the Vancouver-based consulting firm MK Jaccard and Associates. It analyzed three different models of urban development — a business-as-usual scenario, one involving a moderate integration of energy solutions and a comprehensive integration scenario.

Former B.C. premier Michael Harcourt, the chairman of the QUEST group, said the study demonstrates that Canadians could save money and create jobs by coordinating sustainable strategies in 120 cities and communities that make up 95 per cent of the population.

“If we focus those kinds of ideas into those 120 cities and communities we could have quite a powerful and positive set of results,” said Harcourt. “I think it starts with land use. If you don’t have policies and plans that are supported by municipal, provincial and federal governments, it’s very hard to accomplish this integration.”

The moderate and comprehensive policies would consist of better planning on new municipal services as aging infrastructure is replaced to promote smart growth through various investments, such as better rapid public transit and the integration of new renewable energy technologies such as biomass, biogas and waste water sewer heat.

The report estimates that a business-as-usual scenario would result in a 20 per cent increase in direct and indirect urban emissions over the next 40 years, while the moderate and comprehensive scenarios would result in a 15 per cent or six per cent increase in emissions over the same time period. The resulting savings in energy consumption from the second and third scenarios could result in up to $29 billion in savings for the economy, according to the report.

But Harcourt said there is the potential for many more benefits if all levels of government work together in dedicating resources and implementing policies that set conditions on land development and planning to discourage sprawl.

Urban emissions now represent about 40 per cent of Canada’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, and the Harper government has pledged to achieve a reduction of about 70 per cent of overall economywide emissions by 2050.

Ken Ogilvie, the former executive director of Pollution Probe, an environmental research group, said that the federal government could also promote demonstration projects to support development of systems such as district water heating that would allow a large group of buildings to share hot water at a lower cost.

“The more the buildings are closer together, the more efficient the heating (will be),” said Ogilvie. “The federal government has been a big (funding source) of infrastructure. Infrastructure funding could also be linked to communities (and provinces) coming forward with more energy efficient designs.”

The Canadian Gas Association, a member of the QUEST group which represents natural gas distribution companies, said the report demonstrates the continuing evolution of energy needs in communities.

“It also makes for different kinds of services,” said Shahrzad Rahbar, a senior vice president at the association and the study project manager for QUEST. “When we first came into (existence), we were serving the street-lighting market. We’re not doing that today. The fact that in the future, we might be doing something else is imminently OK.”

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Avoiding+urban+sprawl+could+reduce+pollution+boost+economy+report/3623127/story.html#ixzz11aOhRNtX