A $12.5-million federal “greening” contract has been awarded that aims to reduce energy costs by close to $250,000 a year, or 13 per cent, at CFB Comox.
The agreement with the Department of National Defence will upgade a total of 105 facilities at the Vancouver Island base, resulting in a drop of 11,820 tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions — the equivalent of taking 350 vehicles off the road.
It is all part of an effort to make defence infrastructure greener and more sustainable, with other projects underway at CFB Esquimalt and facilities in Halifax, Borden, Kingston, Bagotville, Greenwood, Valcartier, Alert, Shilo and Petawawa.
The overall goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2025, while the federal government wants to have net-zero emissions by 2050.
The contract for the Comox work is being carried out by MCW Custom Energy Solutions of Toronto. Work is expected to start early next year and be complete in early 2023.
The arrangement in the “energy-performance contracts” calls on an energy-services company to finance the needed energy refits while guaranteeing the savings that will result. DND then uses the savings from the lower energy costs to pay back the company over a five- to 15-year period — which limits upfront costs for the government.
Work being done includes installation of energy-efficient control systems in buildings, LED lighting and new hot-water heaters.
“It is critical that we take steps as an organization to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Minister of National Defence Anita Anand. “All these retrofits and upgrades at bases and wings across Canada add up. We will continue to invest in greening our facilities as we work toward meeting our emissions and securing a greener future for Canadians.”
