GREENWOOD, N.S. – Efficiency has a whole new meaning at 14 Wing Greenwood after $20.5 million in federal money for energy efficiency upgrades was announced Dec. 7.
West Nova MP Colin Fraser made the announcement at the Royal Canadian Air Force base on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan and revealed upgrades that are expected to lower annual costs by $900,000 – 13 per cent of the base’s annual energy costs – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 7,500 tonnes per year.
“We’re saving a significant amount of energy and a significant amount of money is then freed up to spend on our national defence. This is part of the national strategy to save money to then reinvest in our military’s infrastructure,” says Fraser.
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The project is part of the Department of National Defence’s improving the energy efficiency of its military infrastructure across the country.
The project contract has been awarded to MCW Custom Energy Solutions Ltd, which will convert 102 buildings – 77 at CFB Greenwood and 25 at Camp Aldershot – to more efficient energy systems, including new LED lighting and efficient ventilation systems, along with upgrading the base’s central heating plant to a cleaner natural gas fuel source.
“Some buildings were pretty energy-inefficient. I believe buildings were analyzed and the ones chosen were deemed the best bang for their buck,” says Fraser.
“To my understanding, this really is the first comprehensive review to the base’s energy use. It’s a big investment, but it will pay for itself in the long run and save costs,” he says.
This project is part of the department’s goal to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and the federal government’s new emissions reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050.
In addition to Greenwood, projects are underway at Valcartier, Esquimalt, and Petawawa. Similar contracts are also in development for Bagotville, Shilo, Alert, Comox, Borden, Trenton, Kingston, Gagetown, Halifax, Montreal, Saint-Jean and Goose Bay.
