Pump up your business' savings at no cost with Toronto Hydro's new conservation program

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro is announcing the launch of its first Toronto-tailored conservation program. After conducting a pilot study on multi-unit residential and commercial buildings, the PUMPsaver program is now available to business customers across the city.

Under Ontario's new Conservation First Framework, local distribution companies, like Toronto Hydro, are encouraged to develop conservation programs tailored to the regional needs of their customers. The launch of this program will help contribute to Toronto Hydro's allocated target of achieving 1.58 terrawatt-hour (TWh) energy savings by 2020, the largest target in the province, and will help customers more efficiently manage energy consumption and costs.

In many condominium buildings, hydronic heating and cooling systems waste energy by operating often oversized pumps at full capacity. Toronto Hydro's new PUMPsaver program is designed to incent the installation of variable frequency drives (VFDs) to reduce costs. The installation is completed by a qualified professional and can reduce electricity use of the pump's motor(s) by up to 35%. The program is a simple end-to-end solution and is offered to qualified business customers free of charge.

To participate in the PUMPsaver program, a Toronto Hydro customer must own a multi-residential condominium or commercial building or have written permission from the owner, have a closed-loop hydronic system with flow restriction at the main pump and a pump motor greater than 10 horsepower (HP) in size that is compatible with a VFD installation.

If a business customer has questions about whether a building is eligible for the PUMPsaver program, contact a Toronto Hydro Energy Expert at 416-542-3388 or [email protected]. Energy Experts are available to help Toronto businesses assess the requirements, and look at the next steps to achieve energy savings. To learn more about the PUMPsaver program, visit www.torontohydro.com/PUMPsaver

QUICK FACTS/DID YOU KNOW?

• There is no cost to participate (approximately $10,000 typical value per site)
• PUMPsaver can improve a building's pump system efficiency by up to 35% - an estimated electricity cost savings of $4,000 to $20,000 per year¹
• Case Study example: The 42-storey Pinnacle Centre Condominium building (16 Yonge Street) retrofitted two 50 HP pumps with VFDs to optimize its system and control costs, which resulted in annual energy savings of 70,956 kilowatt-hour (kWh) and approximately $10,500 savings in annual electricity costs

QUOTES

"Toronto Hydro's customer base is unique because of the high volume of multi-residential buildings in the area. These buildings require conservation programs tailored to their needs in order to help achieve energy savings. We're happy to launch a program like PUMPsaver to help customers better manage their building's energy use and electricity costs."
- Chris Tyrrell, Executive Vice-President and Chief Customer Care and Conservation Officer at Toronto Hydro, Toronto Hydro

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

Toronto Hydro owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 758,000 customers located in the city of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in the province of Ontario.

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¹ Depending on pump size. Based on a 35% reduction in the pump's electrical consumption in a heating and cooling system and electricity costs of $0.15/kWh

SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation

Image with caption: "Toronto Hydro’s PUMPsaver program provides incentives to business customers to install variable frequency drives to help pumps run more efficiently and manage energy consumption and costs. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160919_C6169_PHOTO_EN_776231.jpg

Tori Gass, Communications and Public Relations, 416-903-4037, [email protected]; 24-hour media line: 416-903-6845, [email protected]