Ersilia Serafini, Executive Director

Ersilia Serafini, Executive DirectorErsilia Serafini, Executive Director

ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR PARTICIPANTS MEETINGPARTICIPANTS MEETING

Friday, May 5, 2006

Table of Contents• Clean Air Foundation Background

• Cool Shops: Energy Conservation for Small Business

• Sector and Program Overview

• Cool Shops History

• Current Program Elements

• Current Program Partners and Funders

• Case Studies

• Barriers and Challenge

• Solutions and Program Changes

• Program Next Steps

Clean Air Foundation: Our Mandate

The Clean Air Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization, dedicated to developing, implementing and managing public engagement programs and other strategic approaches that lead to measurable emissions reductions to improve air quality and protect the climate.

Energy Smarts: Canada-wide retail-based energy efficiency campaign, providing discounts and valuable information on energy efficient and clean air products. Mow Down Pollution: Canada’s only small-engine exchange program, focusing on retiring old gas lawnmowers and encouraging the purchase of cleaner alternatives.

Cool Shops: Ontario-wide market transformation program for street-facing retailers, identifying and helping to implement in-store energy management practices to save on utility costs and improve environmental health.

Keep Cool: Canada’s first room air conditioner exchange program, using public awareness and financial incentives to encourage the retirement of old air conditioners and providing discounts for more efficient models.

Car Heaven: Accelerating the retirement of older, higher polluting vehicles and promoting a shift to cleaner alternatives. Car donors receive a free tow and a charitable tax receipt from affiliated charities.

Climate Air Connections: Ontario’s public education and outreach hub, linking activities and best practices related to air quality and climate change.

Clean Air Foundation: Our Programs

Switch Out: Encouraging and facilitating the responsible recovery of mercury automotive switches.

Sector Overview: small street–facing retail

Cool ShopsEnergy Conservation for Small Business

• Increasing demand and cost of electricity = need energy conservation

• Small business sector extremely hard to reach, communicate with, and encourage change

• Language and cultural barriers• Small business owner lack of time, money, resourcesProgram Overview:

• Cool Shops program only program of its kind in Canada• Commercial engagement campaign across Ontario• Locally hired teams provide outreach, education, simple energy

audits, access to free and discounted energy efficient products• Program delivery May – August

• Launched at Greenest City (Toronto NGO) in 2000• Started as a grassroots campaign to promote doors closed while

running A/C in summer• Moved to Clean Air Foundation in 2004 in order to grow scope of

program and expand across Ontario• 2004 (Toronto)

• promoted 3rd party delivery of full-scale energy audit ($95) in Toronto

• resulted in low audit uptake – due to cost and large time investment

• learned that program needs to be more turnkey• 2005 (Toronto, Markham, Milton, Peterborough, Ottawa, London)

• incorporated use of Palm Pilot technology to do instant, on-site energy audits (focused on lighting) and collect market research info

• installed free CFLs to get instant savings and have immediate impact

• resulted in greater program uptake (806MWh and 240 tonnes GHGs)

History:


• Program delivery in 11 Ontario cities:• Toronto, Markham, Milton, Ottawa, Hamilton, St.

Catharines, Sarnia,Woodstock, Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo

• Rural Ontario Road Show• Program delivery involves:

• Palm Pilot energy audits (data collection, market research)• Installation of 2 free CFLs and LED exit light bulb retrofit kit• Discounted energy efficient product offer sheet• Free marketing for participating businesses• Education on Time-of-Use electricity rates and Smart

Meters• Provide as much targeted information as possible in the

shortest amount of time

Current Program Elements:


• Multi-sector partnership model most successful

• Public Sector• Private Sector• Industry Associations• Other non-profit

environmental groups• Large emphasis on utility

funding for local program implementation

Current Program Partners/Funders:


Media Launch Events:


Donna Cansfield, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy at the 2005 Cool Shops program launch in Toronto

David Miller, City of Toronto Mayor at the 2004 Cool Shops program launch in Toronto

Peter Love, Chief Energy Conservation Officer – Ontario Power Authority Conservation Bureau at the 2005 Cool Shops Program launch in Markham

• Energy efficient upgrades/changes:

• Switch to solar hot water heating

• Energy efficient lighting T12 > T8

• Reduced natural gas consumption by 30%

• Revenues grown 160% as customers actively choose the Beach Solar Laundromat due to its environmentally friendly energy initiatives

• 2004 CCME Award Winner - Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment as Best Small Business in Canada for Pollution Prevention and the Best Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction project in Canada

Case Study #1:


• Rick Rabba (Rabba Fine Foods) and Donna Cansfield (Minister of Energy) at the 2005 media launch for Cool Shops

• Rabba congratulated at program media launch on their commitment to energy efficient upgrades

• 7 downtown Toronto locations completed full T8 lighting retrofits

• Saving over $10,000/yr. (combined)

• Stores which conduct significant energy efficient retrofits are promoted in their community and across the province for their participation

Case Study #2:


Barriers and Challenges:


• One of the hardest sectors to reach, communicate with, and encourage change

• Language and cultural differences

• Very little uptake of full scale energy audits (2004 program)

• Few businesses go on to purchase energy efficient products (1.5% uptake in 2005)

• Lack of building ownership by business owners (<30%)

• Split incentives

• High cost of significant retrofits

• Business owner lack of time, money, resources

Program Changes and Solutions:


• Turn findings into consequent changes for more success

• Multicultural outreach needed: Translate marketing and educational materials and hire multi-lingual program representatives

• Scale down energy audit for instant recommendations: Palm Pilot audits

• Increase instant energy savings from program: Install free CFLs and LED exit sign lights

• Increase chance of engaging decision maker/business owner: Pre-booking appointments

• Deliver more targeted recommendations in a shorter amount of time: Sub-sector specific solutions

• Continually adapt to needs of sector by adjusting program delivery

• Invest more time in follow-up activities• Encourage and facilitate larger retrofits > larger kW

reductions• Increase multicultural outreach• Develop sub-sector specific solutions:

• restaurants/foodservice, convenience/grocery, and retail/office

• Expand program outside Ontario (ex. British Columbia)

Next Steps:


Focus Moving Forward:

Continually evolve program to make it as easy as possible

for businesses to participate

More Information:

Cara SweenyCool Shops Program Manager

Ph: 416.922.9038 x257

[email protected]

Ersilia SerafiniExecutive Director

Ph: 416.922.9038 x242

[email protected]

www.cleanairfoundation.org

www.coolshops.ca

Documents

Ersilia Serafini, Executive Director