For building owners and facility operators, managing escalating utility bills while maintaining aging infrastructure presents a constant balancing act. Volatile fossil fuel pricing and strict environmental standards require a shift away from quick equipment fixes toward holistic building science.
At Equilibrium, we use RETScreen Expert energy modelling to evaluate facilities as single, integrated systems. This deep-energy approach reveals hidden operational efficiencies, lowers overhead, and transforms capital upgrades into predictable investments that extend the useful life of your building asset.
Our Deep Energy Retrofit Feasibility Study for East Cumberland Lodge in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, perfectly illustrates this process:
The Challenge: East Cumberland Lodge, built in 1975, is a long-term care home that uses more energy than average, leading to high and unpredictable bills. Old electric heaters and air conditioners, drafty windows and doors, and cold rooms in winter made things uncomfortable for residents and staff. The owners needed an easy-to-follow plan to fix these issues, save energy, and make the building better for everyone.
The Process: We began with a full review of the building to find the best ways to save energy and money. By planning all upgrades together, we made sure the improvements worked well with one another.
We improved insulation, upgraded to LED lighting, installed smart kitchen exhaust controls, and made sure all systems worked properly. Old heating and hot water equipment was replaced with energy-efficient heat pumps, and we added solar panels to generate clean electricity.
The Outcome: Our plan should cut energy use by 38% and reduce carbon emissions by 321 tonnes in the first year, resulting in immediate savings on utility bills. The upgrades will also improve air quality, address comfort issues, and make the building easier to maintain, while helping to meet future environmental regulations.