New Year’s reflections and outlooks
from Prism’s Team Leaders

The beginning of the year is always a good time to take stock of what happened in the previous period and set new directions for the future. We caught up with Prism’s Team Leaders to learn more about projects and initiatives they are most proud of having accomplished last year, how new staff came to add to these successes, and what trends they foresee in the industry for 2023.

Adapting electrical systems to a new reality

Electrical Team Lead Casey Gaetz likes to describe his team as “playing the doctor’s role” when helping clients assess their electrical distribution systems to meet the needs of an ever-changing world. “This is what has been a growing focus for the last few years, and it’s what we plan to keep doing,” he says.

The Covid pandemic, the need to adapt buildings to mitigate the effects of climate change, new regulations and new technologies have created challenges that require a more comprehensive approach from our team, rather than just prescribing solutions. There is no area where this has been more interest to clients than having a Facility Condition Assessments (FCA) completed to assist in capital planning for the future.

“In a world that is constantly changing, electrical systems also need to adjust to this new reality. That’s why we are focusing on assessing each situation, analyzing it carefully, making recommendations, and elaborating on the appropriate designs to get it built to suit not just todays but also tomorrows requirements,” explains Casey.

Other areas with that we are experiencing growth with include electrical distribution upgrades to suit mechanical equipment switching from fossil fuel systems to electricity, thereby reducing our carbon footprint. Another focused area of work is the upgrading of electric services to suit the addition of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

“With all this growth in our work we have added more help to the team with three new staff to help our clients and our team to meet those challenges,” says Casey.

The path to net zero buildings

Last year the Energy Team remained committed to helping organizations maximize the efficiency of building systems that were performing poorly or in some cases not even performing at all.

“Many of these buildings had been visited over the years by other engineers that were unable to fix problems such as insufficient temperature levels, heat pump failure, or building control issues,” says Iram Green, P. Eng., Energy Team Leader. “I am very proud to see how our team approached these issues and managed to make the systems achieve their full potential,” he adds.

The key to success was not simply “checking the boxes” when approaching a problem. “There is knowledge and different considerations in every recommendation we make. You can’t just rely on one technology to get where you want to be. You must understand how that technology is going to operate within that specific situation,” explains Iram.

With six new staff onboarded this past year, the Energy Team is excited to enter 2023 with even more support to help organizations move towards net zero carbon buildings. “When you have so many things to do, you tend to do less. So, we can help organizations prioritize; helping them rely less and less on fossil fuels, improve efficiency, recover heat, and reduce their carbon emissions,” Iram says. With trends towards increased funding for greenhouse gas pathways studies and modelling, we are anticipating even more interest in this type of work.

Unique expertise in sustainability and climate change

Many organizations still struggle when it comes to knowing what first step to take towards adopting sustainable practices and preparing for climate change impacts. This is one of the many ways that our Sustainability Team has been supporting clients – by assisting organizations in creating comprehensive sustainability and climate plans to respond to these challenges.

“We support clients with strategic planning, assessments, and research to help our clients identify what impact their organization is having on people and the planet and what can be done to mitigate them,” explains Sarah Smith, M. Urb., Sustainability Team Leader. Those impacts can range from carbon emissions from buildings and fleet to ground water impacts from landfill waste and to labor rights driven by sustainable procurement practices.

“We support these organizations by assessing their current practices, demystifying the sustainability landscape, and developing a clear vision and definition of sustainability for the organization. We then pull it all together in a practical plan that outlines the priorities and actions that our client needs to take to make progress on sustainability,” Sarah explains.

Prism’s 8-person Sustainability Team has a broad set of expertise to support our clients. We focus on energy, emissions, fleet, waste, and water and in each of these areas we provide strategic planning, coaching, assessment, program delivery and reporting. We center our work on engaging stakeholders throughout any process we deliver. “Each of us is an expert in a different area, but we also draw on each other’ strengths to support our clients in meeting their climate and sustainability objectives,” Sarah says.

Synergy to meet future energy demands

In many of our buildings, mechanical systems account for the majority of building related greenhouse gas emissions. No wonder why many organizations are looking for alternative mechanical solutions to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. This has kept our Mechanical Team busy throughout last year, a trend that is expected to increase even more in 2023.

With the federal, provincial, and municipal governments jumping ahead on initiatives to reduce GHG emissions, the private sector is now taking steps to follow suit. As a result, there has been a growing demand for low-carbon electrification (LCE) projects.

“If in the past businesses were mostly interested in equipment replacements, now they are looking for opportunities for higher energy efficiency with full electrification projects”, explains Stephen Kooiman, P. Eng., M.A.Sc, Mechanical Team Leader. With more incentives available for companies to implement mechanical and electrical upgrades, this trend is expected to grow in the coming years.

To meet these demands, the Mechanical Team has grown with three new staff in the past year, and there will be even more synergy with other teams. “The scale of the projects is bigger, which requires a multidisciplinary approach. Having all expertise in-house is a great advantage. Our Mechanical Team is very collaborative, and they are used to working closely with the Electrical, Energy, and Sustainability Teams. Everyone is eager to learn, grow, and looking for ways to challenge themselves,” Stephen says.

Prism staff at Burnaby office. From left to right: Julianne Pickrell-Barr, Climate Action Specialist; Sarah Smith, Sustainability Team Leader; Sustainability and Climate Action Specialist; Taniell Hamilton, Sustainability and Engagement Specialist; and Parham Ighani, Mechanical Engineer in Training. 

Want to discuss how our services can support your organization?

Assessing the potential for energy savings is a critical step when moving forward with energy saving opportunities. Although Prism performs calculations in much of the work we do, we wanted to make some more common calculations freely available to the public on our website.

“Originally launched in 2010, the calculators were designed to help the industry move forward with energy savings,” explains Robert Greenwald, P.Eng., President of Prism Engineering. “It is not just a matter of saving energy, but also of reducing carbon emissions and having a positive impact on the environment,” he adds.

As part of our recently updated website, we are excited to launch a fully redesigned set of online calculators and make them available on our Resources page.

Who are the calculators for?

Building operators, facility managers, energy consultants, training session attendees, and energy managers can use the Energy Calculators to perform basic calculations on various system types. Developed by our team of engineers, the Energy Calculators can be applied to assess the efficiency across various systems, like condensing boilers, ventilation, conditioned air, motors, and pumps.

“The Energy Calculators can provide quick insight and help people decide if energy improvements are needed,” explains Lizz Hodgson, P.Eng., who was responsible for reviewing the functionality of the new tools to make sure all calculations were robust.

How can they be used?

The Energy Calculators are a free tool that can be used to make projections, generate insights, or conduct a quick assessment of how systems are performing, how they compare to established goals, and how their performance might be optimized.

In the picture above, the online calculator indicates the improvement in boiler efficiency (89% to 93%) that can be gained by lowering the boiler return water temperature from 60°C to 40°C.

Another way to make use of the Energy Calculators is when conducting walkthroughs audits or “Treasure Hunts”. By identifying operational opportunities for energy savings, facility operators can use the calculators to quickly assess the potential savings.

Although these calculators are a valuable tool, often the next step is a more thorough assessment. Prism Engineering can help by conducting detailed energy audits, recommissioning studies, deep carbon retrofits, and facility condition assessments to evaluate options. Our experienced team of electrical and mechanical engineers and technologists works closely with site personnel to identify, analyze, and present opportunities to reduce energy consumption and cost.

Learn more about some of our energy audit projects and related articles:

Simon Fraser University | Energy Audit
Justice Institute of BC New Westminster Campus | Energy Audit
Top 10 Energy Audit Problems

Looking for ways to optimize energy use can be challenging for many organizations. To help them reduce energy waste, maximize efficiency, decrease operating costs, and lower carbon emissions, Prism Engineering has developed a “Treasure Hunt,” also known as an Energy Scan process, as part of our Strategic Energy Management (SEM) framework. The goal of a Treasure Hunt is to empower staff to identify operational opportunities for energy savings or Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) through an on-site walk of processes and systems, as seen in Figure 1.

“During the Treasure Hunt, the team looks for new energy savings ‘treasures’ to implement and opportunities to reduce energy costs. It can be a great way to identify and implement quick wins to kickstart or re-invigorate the organization’s energy savings journey,” explains Shannon Hardman, Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Coach at Prism Engineering.

“Participants are encouraged to ask why processes and procedures are completed the way they are and if changes could be made to reduce energy and costs. The output of the Treasure Hunt is a list of low-cost opportunities to implement as a team in the short to medium term,” she adds.

The Treasure Hunt activity also offers companies the opportunity to:

• Better understanding of energy use
• Engage staff in conversations about energy use
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and cross-team collaboration
• Help drive energy and carbon reductions

Figure 1: Prism coaches facilitating a Treasure Hunt at an industrial facility in Vancouver.

How does it work?

The Treasure Hunt activity has three phases: Preparation, the Event, and Follow-Up.

Preparation

The organization’s Energy Team and Prism coach work together to confirm the scope of the activity and logistics for the day of the Treasure Hunt and review any data that could inform the process, such as site maps, equipment registers, process flow diagrams, and previous energy studies.

The Event

The Treasure Hunt is typically designed as a 4- to 6-hour on-site activity, including a Kick-Off Meeting, a Site Tour, and a Tour Debrief. When touring the facility, the team follows a 3-step Strategic Energy Management (SEM) process to identify ECMs that includes:

Step 1: Minimize Waste.
Step 2: Maximize Efficiency.
Steps 3-6: Optimize the Supply.

Here is a snapshot of some low-cost opportunities identified in a Treasure Hunt:

• Fix compressed air leakages in the plant.
• Close doors in the plant during winter.
• Upgrade lighting and controls in offices.
• Utilize welding fume extraction snorkels in welding bays to minimize overall ventilation.
• Insulate pipe for hot water tank lines.
• Update the procedures for equipment that is to be turned off during idle or non-production times.

As a passionate advocate of Treasure Hunts, Shannon acknowledges that participants typically come into the session slightly unsure and reserved. However, as new saving opportunities are identified, the atmosphere quickly shifts into excitement.

“They value seeing their facility with a new and focused lens. The total number of opportunities that get identified often surprises the client,” she says.

Prioritize and Follow Up

After the Treasure Hunt, the organization’s Energy Team works with one of our Prism Coaches to prioritize ECMs for implementation. A refined list of prioritized potential projects is delivered at the end of the day.

“The Treasure Hunt can be completed annually as a way to continue to get buy-in and engagement on identifying and eliminating energy waste,” recommends Shannon.

SEM Programs

Prism is uniquely qualified to run SEM programs. From design to implementation, we work with organizations to develop energy teams and leadership engagement strategies. Our holistic approach to energy management is focused on technical initiatives and organizational and behavioural change to achieve energy efficiency.

Learn more about some projects developed by our Strategic Energy Management team:

Colliers | Operators Training Results in $140,000 in Energy Savings
Thompson Rivers University | SEM through ISO 50001
Vancouver Community College | Energy Management and Upgrades