A Green Globes Canada-certified project
Owner: CREIT Management L.P.
Property Manager: CREIT Management L.P. Manager Sue Ziemski
Location: 220 Portage Ave., Winnipeg
Building type: Office building with concourse level and ground floor retail banking
Size: 24,760 square meters (222,842 square feet)
Project scope: 17 story office building, reinforced concrete w/ precast panels
Rating: Go Green Best Practices
After 40 years of standard practice and no evidence of previous audits, it was felt that the Royal Bank Building could not possibly be running at peak efficiency, and that it was time to apply new ideas and methods. As some of the older inefficient equipment was near the end of its life cycle, this was an opportune time to reassess what should be put into the building, and possibly qualify for a greening government program. There was also a desire to create a healthier environment for occupants, particularly in terms of reducing contaminants that could affect breathing; reduce the cost of hauling waste, and differentiate the facility in the market as one that serves the welfare of tenants, fosters their awareness of resource consumption and is dedicated to leaving a better footprint for future generations.
Environmental Aspects
As with all building operators, one of the building’s main challenges is to keep tenants happy – no one wants any hot or cold calls or stale odour calls. That’s why fans were being kept running 24/7. One of the lessons learned from placing air quality sensors in tenant areas and measuring CO2 levels, was that the building was previously oversupplying and conditioning fresh air – not only when the building was fully occupied, but even on weekends.
Royal Bank Building implemented following capital energy retrofit items:
- Lighting retrofit throughout
- Variable fan drives
- CO2 sensors on return air fans
- New domestic water pumps
- Disabling electric coolers
Operational improvements to the building included scheduling of fans to day/night cycle to ensure minimum settings while maintaining low CO2 levels, resetting the boiler loop temperature, and adjusting fresh air, a health and safety manual and a policy regarding cleaning supplies.
Key Results
| Item | Results | Annual Cost Savings |
| Electricity | 459,199 kWh reduction | $54,000 (20% of annual energy costs) |
| Natural Gas | 1,334,331 kWh reduction | |
| Water | 6 million litre reduction | $21,000-29,000 |
| Waste | 13% reduction in garbage 34% increase in recycled paper |
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| Current Measurable Cost Savings (Annual) | $75,000 – $83,000 | |
These measures contributed to measured energy savings of $54 K /year, or 20% of annual energy bills, representing reduced energy consumption of 459,199 KWh electricity, 1,334,331 KWh natural gas. Several water-conservation measures including a switch to low-flush toilets and the removal of water-cooled LAN room air conditioners resulted in a measured reduction of 6 million litres representing water savings of $21-29K/year. Reduction of land-fill garbage resulting from recycling program including communications with tenants resulted in a 13% reduction in garbage and a 34% increase in recycled paper. Total Measurable Annual Cost Savings were in the range of $75-83,000.