Direct Energy Centre Wins Award for Environmental and Economical Policies
June, 2010
By Steven Chester
The Direct Energy Centre was recently awarded the Operations Award by UFI, a global association of tradeshow organizers and exhibition centre operators. The finalists were selected from venues across the globe which provided hands-on solutions to key industry issues in the fields of information technology and customer relations management.
This year’s competition focused on concrete solutions related to cost efficient operations. All entries provided clear explanations of the objectives of the solution, the tools used, the quantitative and qualitative results obtained, and the added value for the exhibition industry.
The winner was selected via a vote of meeting participants at the UFI Operations Focus Meeting in Paris, France. The final vote resulted in an unprecedented tie between Direct Energy Centre, Toronto and Fira Barcelona. Direct Energy Centre’s objective was to lower electrical consumption and reduce its environmental footprint associated with operating exhibition facilities. Fira Barcelona took a broader look at reducing operations costs, freeing resources and reinvesting these resources to provide better quality and service at less cost.
“I am very proud of the policies put in place by our Board and Exhibition Place staff,” says Deputy Mayor and Chairman of Exhibition Place, Joe Pantalone. “These policies are not only economically beneficial but they benefit the environment as well.”
Measures taken at Direct Energy Centre include reducing exhibition hall and exterior lighting to minimal levels during off hours as well as reducing building temperature during move-in/out and off hours.
Facilities were also retrofitted through lighting upgrades to energy efficient ballasts and fixtures. An energy control system in the underground parking garage was also installed to run lighting on motion sensors, and LED lighting was implemented for exterior signage.
Along with facility-owned green/clean electrical generators, a major trigeneration project uses a natural gas fired generator to satisfy approximately 30 per cent of the building’s electricity, heating and cooling needs. The project provides an energy reduction of 7,400 tonnes of equivalent CO2 emissions.
|
|