By Craig Leroux, Senior Communications Officer

Queen’s is undertaking a campus-wide energy audit, the first part of a larger energy savings project, as it looks to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs. After a thorough request for proposals process, the university has partnered with Honeywell, a leading energy service company, to undertake the audit and identify opportunities for reductions.

“Climate change is a pressing global challenge and Queen’s has a responsibility to lessen its environmental impact,” says Caroline Davis, Vice-Principal (Finance). “The energy audit is the next step in finding ways to substantially reduce our emissions and it supports the pledge that Principal Woolf made when he signed the University and College Presidents’ Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada.”

Vice-Principal Davis adds that the project will be a key part of Queen’s Climate Action Plan. “Queen’s is developing a Climate Action Plan that will set ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reduction, and this energy savings project is expected to deliver a significant portion of those reductions,” she says.

The energy audit will begin immediately and will take between two and three months to complete. Staff from Honeywell will look closely at energy usage across campus and develop a comprehensive list of potential energy savings investments, such as upgrades to buildings, campus lighting and central heating systems.

“The project makes good environmental and financial sense,” says Donna Janiec, Acting Associate Vice-Principal (Facilities). “Once the audit is complete, Queen’s will have the opportunity to choose the highest impact investments and can opt to continue working with Honeywell to implement the energy savings projects, and to fund the costs of upgrades through the savings they generate.”