Prism Opens Office Space in Victoria
We are delighted to announce the opening of our Victoria office space!
For more than 30 years, Prism Engineering has provided engineering, energy management and sustainability services to over 120 organizations across Vancouver Island. Given our strong connections with local organizations, having a permanent presence in the region was only a matter of time.
“We are excited to establish a local presence on Vancouver Island that will enable us to maintain and deepen our working relationships with existing clients, and we also look forward to meeting new ones,” says Robert Greenwald, P.Eng., President of Prism Engineering. “Being on the island allows us to respond faster for onsite work, be more available for face-to-face meetings and interactions, and deliver services more cost-effectively,” he adds.
Our office is located in the heart of downtown Victoria. If you are in town, please stop by! We are in a historic building that offers an open lounge area, private meeting spaces, parking, and, of course, great coffee. Whether for a catch-up or to discuss current or future projects, our Victoria team would be delighted to see you in person.
Senior expertise in electrical systems and sustainability
Our Victoria office houses two members of Prism’s leadership team: Adam Franklin, P.Eng., Associate and Electrical Engineer, and Christine Obee, Associate and Engagement Specialist. Both have extensive experience in helping clients improve systems, reduce energy usage, and lower their emissions.
Adam Franklin
“Since moving over, I have heard from several clients that having a Victoria office gives them more confidence in working with us, knowing that we can provide quicker response times for onsite projects,” says Adam.
Adam moved to the island last summer motivated by good public schools, more space for his kids, and quick access to the ocean and other outdoor activities.
Christine Obee
Christine has more than 12 years of experience designing and delivering staff engagement initiatives and programs to support organizations to achieve their decarbonization and sustainability goals. She also facilitates networking and training sessions for clients and provides support and guidance for BOMA Best certifications. Christine loves working with people and supporting clients to bring key stakeholders together to move their organization’s sustainability programs and projects forward.
“Being closer to clients on the island is important. Although Teams calls with clients and colleagues are a part of our new work routine, I can now easily bike downtown to meet a client for coffee or drive up the Island to facilitate in-person client events or meetings”, says Christine.
Christine moved back to Victoria a few years ago with her family after attending UVIC in her undergraduate days. She loves the access to sailing and the outdoors, as well as the family-focused lifestyle.
Expanding Prism’s support on the island
Prism Engineering first set foot on Vancouver Island in 1990 to work on a project for BC Buildings Corporation (BCBC). Over the years, our support has expanded across the region, and we are now proud to assist several local organizations in decarbonizing their operations, including BC Ferries, District of Saanich and Island Health.
BC Ferries is a great example of our efforts to support sustainability on the island. To help the company achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 24% below 2008 levels, we completed electrification assessments for its Island Class and New Major Vessel ferry fleet sand terminals.We are also currently providing lighting design services for the Swartz Bay and Duke Point terminals. In addition, Prism is supporting BC Ferries to transition its on-road vehicle fleet to electric with vehicle assessments and modelling as well as charging infrastructure assessments and strategy planning.
Since 2016, we have collaborated with the District of Saanich on several projects. Our primary focus is to assist the organization in keeping its buildings running efficiently while reducing operational expenses and helping it achieve its climate goals. Some projects include mechanical upgrades, the development of a zero-emissions fleet strategy, fire alarm system review, and ongoing optimization studies.
Island Health is another example of our long history on Vancouver Island. For over 13 years, Prism has supported the organization with sustainability staff engagement campaigns, green team programs and training workshops to help operators run buildings more efficiently. Other projects include continuous optimization studies, a heating plan review, and a vulnerability risk assessment.
If you are in Victoria, or travelling to the area:
Connect with Adam
Connect with Christine
Read more about Prism’s work on Vancouver Island
BC Ferries | Terminals Power Quality Review
Millstream Village | Power Factor and Quality
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital | Vulnerability Risk Assessment
Nanaimo’s Federal Building (BGIS) | BOMA Best Certification
School District #79 Lake Cowichan | Biomass Boiler
Banner photo: Inner Harbour Causeway, Downtown Victoria BC by ChrisJohnstone86 via Wikimedia Commons
Rocky Mountain SD No. 6: Operations and Maintenance Fleet is Ready to Go Electric
In the fall of 2022, the Operations team at Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 contacted Prism Engineering to help them explore the potential to reduce carbon emissions and operating costs by replacing some of the District’s fossil fuel-powered maintenance and operations fleet with electric vehicles (EVs).
Prism’s study determined that Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 can meet its operational needs, reduce annual fleet costs, and cut energy consumption and carbon emissions by nearly 80% by electrifying a portion of its fleet.
The School District has three operations yards and 35 maintenance and operations vehicles, including light, medium, and heavy-duty models, as well as several school buses for student transportation. It serves 3,500 students across 18 schools in Golden, Invermere, Kimberley, and surrounding communities. It is located on the unceded lands of the Secwépemc and Ktunaxa People and the chosen home of the Metis People of BC.
Prism provided the School District with an EV Ready Fleet Plan designed to meet the requirements of CleanBC’s Go Electric Fleets Program, a provincial initiative that supports public and private fleets’ transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The project also included an EV Charging Infrastructure Assessment and the development of an EV Charging Strategy.
“We conducted a full assessment of their existing fleet of maintenance and operations vehicles and evaluated the existing electrical and charging infrastructure at their three operations yards to determine if the School District has sufficient electrical capacity to support EV adoption,” explains Julianne Pickrell-Barr, Climate Action Specialist at Prism Engineering.
Zero-emission calculator to evaluate impact
Prism’s Electrical and Sustainability teams worked together to evaluate the School District’s needs. Our Sustainability team developed a Zero-Emission Fleet Assessment Calculator to help identify which district vehicles can be electrified and quantify the financial and carbon emission reduction benefits of doing so.
“A variety of vehicle replacement options were considered in the evaluation process. Each vehicle selected and included in the plan was chosen based on several aspects, such as suitability to meet needs and preferences, purchase cost after incentives, and availability in Canada,” says Julianne.
The Sustainability team used the calculator to compare two scenarios. The first looked at the impact of transitioning to EVs across various factors, including carbon emissions, capital costs, operational and maintenance costs, and carbon offsets. The second looked at these same factors if the School District’s current vehicles were replaced with like-for-like models.
The EV Ready Fleet Plan also includes projections of the number of Low Carbon Fuel Credits the School District could potentially earn from EV fleet charging and estimates of the current market value of those credits, adding further value to the study.
Assessment of the charging infrastructure needed
Meanwhile, the Electrical team completed an Electrical and EV Charging Infrastructure Assessment by evaluating the School District’s existing infrastructure and comparing this to its future charging needs based on the fleet transition schedule created by the Sustainability team.
With this information, Prism was able to develop an EV Charging Strategy, which can be used to help the School District plan for the future by identifying the number and types of chargers it will need, as well as the level and timing of electrical infrastructure upgrades (including electrical service upgrades) required to support EV fleet vehicle charging.
“Prism’s contributions have been pivotal in creating a path forward for our changeover to electric fleet vehicles,” says Russell Wagner, Operations Supervisor at Rocky Mountain School District No. 6.
“Their team left no stone unturned, meticulously analyzing every facet of our EV Fleet and Infrastructure Project. And their rigorous analysis ensured that no potential issue went unnoticed, resulting in a comprehensive strategy that addressed all challenges, leading us to 2035,” adds Lisa Clifton, the School District’s Operations Coordinator.
80% reduction in GHG emissions
Prism found that almost 75% of the School District’s current fleet could be replaced with electric vehicles since the vehicles would mainly serve three central locations with a range below 350 km (refer to Figure 1). Meanwhile, for the two vehicles that routinely complete longer trips, Prism recommended plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The medium and heavy-duty trucks used for snow plowing were identified as exceptions since no viable EV options currently exist in that category.
Figure 1: Maximum daily driving distance by location and vehicle category.
The assessment also found that EV adoption could reduce the School District’s total annual fleet costs (including capital and operating costs) for six of the next ten years, even considering the required electrical infrastructure upgrades and EV charger installations. In addition, EV adoption could significantly impact the organization’s carbon footprint, reducing GHG emissions by nearly 80% by 2036 (refer to Figure 2).
Figure 2: GHG emissions projections under EV scenario.
Ready to transition to EVs
Prism is now supporting the School District to implement the EV Ready Fleet Plan.
“This level of thoroughness instilled us with confidence that our project was in the best possible hands and allowed us to obtain additional grant funding for the next phase of the project, Charging Infrastructure and Vehicle Procurement, for which we have opted to keep Prism engaged,” explains Russell Wagner.
As part of this phase, the Electrical team will provide detailed design drawings for the electrical and EV charging infrastructure upgrades required. The team will also provide implementation assistance during the tender and construction phases.
The Sustainability team will provide specifications for EV procurement and implementation coaching to help smooth the School District’s transition to electric vehicles. As part of this coaching, the team will support the School District to gain internal buy-in and support for this initiative, as well as help staff become more familiar and comfortable with the new EVs entering their fleet.
Figure 3: Gino Folino, of the Operations team, at one of the SD’s EV charging stations.
Prism is here to support your organization’s success.
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Learn more about our how our services can best support your organization
Transportation Decarbonization Planning
Learn more about EV Ready Fleet funding programs:
BC Hydro Electric Fleets
CleanBC Go Electric Fleets
CleanBC Go Electric School Bus
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund (Transportation)
Zero Emission Transit Fund
Prism Develops Climate Resilience Assessment Tool to Support Adaptation Planning
In the last couple of years, British Columbians have been impacted by several extreme weather events, including a devastating forest fire near Kelowna last summer and an intense rainfall causing catastrophic flooding in the Fraser Valley in 2021. Adapting to climate change and mitigating the risks associated with a warming climate is becoming a necessity for many organizations across the province, and around the world. To help organizations assess the impact of extreme weather events on their infrastructure and make informed decisions, Prism Engineering developed a Climate Resilience Assessment Tool.
Our Energy, Mechanical, and Sustainability teams collaborated to create this valuable new resource that combines climate data and site-specific information. With our technical support, building owners and managers can generate a report that provides actionable recommendations to prepare and adapt to climate change by understanding site-specific measures available to mitigate potential risks.
“The framework we’ve developed is important because it prioritizes the actions that should be taken to improve the resilience of buildings in the face of extreme weather events,” explains Sam Thomas, Principal and Kootenay Branch Manager.
“Many organizations are unaware of what they should do to better adapt to a changing climate. Some are hesitant to get expert advice because of the associated efforts involved. The tool is intended to make it more accessible and easier for them to anticipate the impacts of climate change,” he adds.
A scoring system to assess vulnerability
To use the tool, a user enters information about a building’s location, use and attributes. Buildings constructed using significant combustible materials, for example, may pose a greater risk in areas prone to wildfires. Similarly, facilities in regions affected by floods could be at risk if their backup generators are placed at ground level.
The tool then uses the inputs provided by the user along with publicly available climate data to estimate the likelihood and consequence of a climate event on different aspects of the site. This is achieved by applying a scoring system, as shown in the chart below. The overall score is determined by multiplying the likelihood rating by the consequence rating. The scoring is intended to help the user make informed decisions based on the level of risk and priorities.
“The goal is to determine each possible scenario, the likelihood that a certain climate event might be an issue for the facility and the consequences if it does happen,” explains Sam.
Scoring system chart.
After analyzing the data, the tool generates a report with a concise summary of suggested measures. The increasing frequency of heat waves, for example, could trigger investing in building envelopes to reduce the indoor temperature. Similarly, the smoke from frequent forest fires might require modifications to the filtration and ventilation systems.
“One of the main advantages of this tool is that building owners or managers can use the information they already have about the facility to carry out the assessment themselves,” explains Sam. “This makes it quick and easy for them to identify what measures they can take to enhance their climate resilience,” he adds.
Prism is here to support your organization’s climate adaptation journey
We have extensive technical expertise to support your organization through its climate adaptation journey and proactively prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Reach out to our Climate Action Specialist to discuss how our services can best support your organization.
Related Services
Prism Welcomes Two New Associates
We are delighted to share that two new Associates joined the Prism Leadership Team this fall.
Prism Associates are individuals with the experience, expertise, and passion to help grow our company to have an even bigger impact. Each Associate takes on company-level responsibilities, leading different aspects of our business, from quality assurance to business development to employee wellbeing. Our Associates also support the growth and development of our junior team members and are key to fostering our company culture of care and collaboration.
Bartjan Kiers joined Prism in March 2020. He brings a wealth of experience in heating and cooling plant upgrades and low-carbon implementation projects. Bartjan has been instrumental in supporting the Mechanical Team and the expansion of our presence in the Okanagan region, where he is based at our Kelowna office.
Julianne Pickrell-Barr is a valuable addition to our Sustainability Team, bringing with her extensive experience in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Since she joined Prism in 2021, Julianne has helped us to expand our sustainability services and provided support to our clients in various areas, such as assessing GHG emissions footprints, developing practical, action-based climate action and sustainability plans and climate-hazard assessments, among others.
Learn more about our Principals and Associates.