The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is pleased to receive an investment of $380,235 from the federal government's Natural Resources Canada Energy Efficiency program to help implement an energy management system to reduce costs, and improve energy performance and energy efficiency for WRDSB schools.
The announcement of this funding is a welcomed boost to supporting more sustainable schools across Waterloo Region. The WRDSB energy management system is in accordance with the latest ISO 50001 standard and will be used to enable real-time, minute-by-minute monitoring of electricity, natural gas and water consumption data in approximately 50 WRDSB schools. The funding will also support energy audits and staff training to help identify energy efficiencies.
The real-time monitoring will allow staff to quickly detect increased energy consumption and allow for reduced response times by school custodial and maintenance staff to address issues. It will also support WRDSB's Facility Services with identifying areas for potential cost savings. WRDSB is also exploring opportunities to utilize the data dashboard for student learning opportunities, such as connecting math and science concepts with the learning environment.
"We are grateful for the federal investment to implement an energy management system to benefit WRDSB schools," said jeewan chanicka, WRDSB Director of Education. "Through the utilization of an energy management system and real-time monitoring of our schools' energy consumption, students, staff and the school communities will better understand the impact their actions have on their schools. We continue to hear from students that reducing our environmental footprint is a priority for them. This will help us to continue providing tangible ways to support WRDSB's sustainability efforts to address climate change, create efficiencies and provide engaging learning opportunities for students."
Sustainability @ WRDSB
The energy management system is only one of the many ways WRDSB is supporting sustainability in alignment with our Strategic Directions of "Collaboration and compassion for transformation" and "Increased student learning through engagement." WRDSB currently has electric vehicle charging stations at eight school sites, as well as at the Education Centre. The operating costs of the EV charging stations are covered by the users of the charging stations. WRDSB has also added its first electric vehicle (EV) to its Facilities Services fleet, which serves as a trial vehicle to see how it will perform as a service vehicle. The WRDSB is considering an EV fleet in the future.
WRDSB's Sustainability Working Group promotes interdepartmental collaboration between Facility Services and school-based sustainability initiatives. The group provides information and resources to support the WRDSB's environmental and sustainability efforts. Some of the work includes: tree planting and inventorying existing trees; installing outdoor classrooms; networking and providing educational opportunities. WRDSB also supports school-based strategies to support sustainability, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Expo recently hosted at Eastwood Collegiate Institute and the Earth Day Amazing Race 2024.
