The Town of Orangeville has undertaken a comprehensive retrofit at seven Townowned facilities that will have a positive cost savings and environmental impact.

In June 2007 the Town signed a contract with Ainsworth Energy Services, kicking off this innovative energy project. The project has provided the Town with an opportunity to reduce energy usage and operating costs, address environmental stewardship, and realize significant infrastructure upgrades.

Under the agreement, the energy savings will fund the cost of the improvements. Other benefits include improvements in comfort for staff, modernization of critical equipment, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The total anticipated annual energy cost savings is $211,844, the total anticipated energy savings is 13313 Gi (gigajoules), the total anticipated annual tons of CO2 savings is 906 tons, the total anticipated annual acres of trees saved is 462, and the total anticipated annual cars off the road is 184.

Some of the measures that have been built or continue to be built for the Town are:

• Building envelope improvements completed at all seven facilities to prevent air exfiltration Energy efficient lighting installed to replace the existing inefficient lighting. In many cases, this meant retrofitting existing T12 with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. A low e-ceiling (low emissivity ceiling) was installed at the Alder Street Recreation Centre and the Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre to prevent heat loss and generate energy savings.

• Pool covers are in the process of being installed at the Alder Street Recreation Centre and the Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre to prevent heat loss and generate energy savings;

• High efficiency boilers and motors replaced less efficient boilers and motors at most facilities VFDs (variable frequency drives) are being installed at most sites

"The energy conservation project that the Town entered into with Ainsworth Energy Services is a win- win initiative," said Orangeville Mayor Rob Adams. "The Town has realized significant upgrades to seven buildings at no cost to taxpayers and has a significant guaranteed annual energy savings as a result, and then there are the environmental benefits on top of that. Without question, these measures were the right thing to do and the benefits are tremendous."

"Performing energy-efficient retrofits on public buildings allows everyone who uses them to see the changes, experience the enhanced comfort and enjoy the financial rewards associated with lower electricity bills," said Peter Love, Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation Officer.

"These changes show Orangeville residents, as well as other municipalities, how to work towards achieving a culture of conservation."

"It has been a pleasure working with such an environmentally responsible municipality", said Yves Lemoine, VP Commercial at Ainsworth. "Both Staff and Council have demonstrated a deep commitment to saving energy and reducing their carbon footprint. They have really set a valuable example for the residents of this community about the importance of energy conservation."

The seven facilities are the Town Hall, the Orangeville Public Library, the Alder Street Recreation Centre, the Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre, the Operations Centre, the Fire Hall, and Orangeville Hydro.

The infrastructure improvements and upgrades bring the project cost to $1,285,827 with a payback of 6.1 years.

For the seven facilities combined, Ainsworth has guaranteed annual energy savings of $211,844. Ainsworth will provide the Town will an annual report demonstrating how the savings guarantee has been met.