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Over the past 5 years HRM has invested almost $7 million in energy efficiency projects/initiatives. These projects/initiatives range from small to BIG and have reduced a total of 10,000 tonnes of Green House Gas (GHG). Here are a few examples:
VendingMiser - Greening HRM Vending Machines
 Did you know that just one vending machine consumes more than $500 worth of electricity each year (which produces about four tonnes of  emissions)? The VendingMiser is a small, easy-to-install, piece of equipment that uses an infrared sensor to power down the machine if no movement is detected for 15 minutes, re-powering only when needed to keep products chilled. VendingMisers reduce energy consumption by approximately 30-50%, resulting in financial savings and reduced GHG - a win-win situation for the bank account and the environment! HRM has installed 30 VendingMisers in its recreational centres. This may seem like a small change, but just imagine what would happen if all the vending machines in North America had VendingMisers? This would lead to a significant reduction in GHG emissions!
Energy Performance Contract - Metro Transit Facility
 Phase 2 of the energy retrofit which included work on the lighting and HVAC was completed in 2009. The project resulted in major improvements in air quality. Lessons learned in retrofit to Burnside facility are being applied to the new garage in Ragged Lake.
 LED Traffic Lights - use 80 per cent less energy than conventional traffic lights, and have a lifespan of nine years instead of three. Maintenance costs are potentially only a third of what is required for conventional lights. The Municipality has replaced the conventional traffic lights at 137 intersections with LED lights, and installed 31 new systems.
LED Street Lights - Lighting our Way to a Greener Future
The current street light project, to replace 2,100 existing fixtures with LED technology throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality, has recently been completed.
The LED lights are replacing existing 70 watt, 100 watt, 150 watt and 250 watt HPS (High Pressure Sodium) fixtures and are expected to reduce energy consumption by more than 1 million kWh each year. The project will result in a reduction of about 1000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) annually. In addition to an estimated annual energy savings of about $120,000.00, HRM will realize savings through reduced maintenance costs for the new fixtures over an anticipated 20 year life.
This recent installation is Phase II of a 2009 pilot project that saw 285 energy-efficient, light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights installed in HRM.
In addition to the energy and environmental benefits the new LED lights provide a better quality light at a fraction of the cost. The new LED fixtures are also "full cut off" meaning that they direct the light onto the street and avoid light pollution.
 
55% Energy Savings - 150W (196 plug watts) HPS lights on Robie Street in Halifax were converted to LRL’s S96 model fixtures which greatly improved visibility, while realizing substantial cost savings. Photographs and text provided by LED Roadway lighting.
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With 40,000 streetlights in HRM, that cost more than $5 million a year to operate, switching to LED lights could lead to big savings!
Future Developments - HRM is also working toward "smarter" streetlights. These lights would have a computer chip that would notify HRM operations when burnt out and have automatic dimming technology. Other ideas include solar LED light in parks.
 Alderney 5 -
This energy project is a $3.6 million energy-efficiency retrofit of five municipal buildings on the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia waterfront. It is the first large-scale application of geothermal seasonal cold-energy storage anywhere in the world.
Halifax North Memorial Library Lighting Retrofit - The  lighting was retrofitted reducing electricity consumption by 50%. The new lighting saw the brightness increase from 14 to 80 footcandles. Illuminating!
Gas Conversions to High Efficiency - A number of HRM  facilities have been converted to natural gas. They include: Dartmouth Sportsplex, Dartmouth North Centre, Northbrook School, 150 Thornhill Drive, King Stree Fire Station, Highfield Park Fire Station, Woodside Fire Station, Halifax Metro Centre, Chief David P. MacKinnon building.
Corporate Energy Benchmarking - By sharing energy benchmarks for individual sites in an accessible Excel format online, HRM hopes to encourage other municipalities to follow suit. HRM seeks to lead by example sharing its approach and findings to serve as a municipal benchmarking resource.
Geothermal- HRM has built and is operating more  geothermal buildings than anyone else in Altantic Canada using over 150 boreholes. This includes the Alderney 5 project. The Prospect Community Centre, Gordon R. Snow Community Centre and the East Dartmouth Community Centre all utilize geothermal energy.
Solar - The Canada Games Centre has one of the  largest solar installations in the country. A retrofit of Centennial Pool will use heat recovery from dehumidification, solar and district energy linking the facility with the main Police Station.
Heat Recovery - HRM is currently building some of the  most energy efficient projects in Canada. The 4-pad Arena in Bedford has an ice heating recovery system. A retrofit of the Sackville Sports Stadium now sees the heat recovery from the ice making in the arena used to warm the pool. A feasibility study is currently underway investigating heat recovery from the wastewater treatment plant.
Methane Gas Recapture - Highland Energy is running a  very successful methane gas recovery system that supplies two megawatts of electricity to the provincial power grid from the former Sackville Landfill site. Landfills emit methane which is a 20X more powerful GHG than CO2. The Sackville Landfill is now avoiding emitting over 100,000 tonnes of GHG/year. The Project has the added benefit of eliminating odor complaints from the neighbours.
MindShift: Youth Educating Youth - Shifting to a Sustainable Culture MindShift is a youth leadership program designed by HRM’s Adventure Earth Centre to help  shift high school culture towards environmental sustainability. This initiative, run by youth for youth, uses drama and humour as teaching tools. MindShift was piloted in 2008-09, and won the Nova Scotia Environmental Network Youth Leadership Award. The curriculum engages youth and inspires action towards more sustainable lifestyles. MindShift has recently been successful targeting adults too, many HRM staff, senior managers and Councillors have experienced this thought provoking program.
Bottled Water - In co-ordination with the deliberation on  bottled water, the Municipality is reviewing its infrastructure to assess its ability to deliver free, clean drinking water to staff and citizens in all HRM facilities. The purchase and sale of bottled water has been restricted at City Hall. The Municipality is assessing the remaining facilities and will be returning for further deliberation at a later time.
Implementation of Green Vehicle Filter and Life Cycle evaluation template. Regional Council approved the mandatory utilization of a Green Vehicle Filter adopted to assist with Fleet Rightsizing initiatives and a Life Cycle Evaluation Methodology which incorporates fuel efficiency and emissions in the valuation process.
HRMSmarttrip.ca including Parking Smart HRMSmartTrip.ca is a state of the art ride matching system  that allows commuters to quickly and securely find carpool partners. The system matches people based on proximity to origin, destination points and travel route as well as similar working hours and compatible carpooling preferences. The initiative was expanded in 2009 to include a parking match component. The enhancement is a permanent feature of the website which allows the public to find a parking partner. Residents needing or offering a place to park can log onto the website and register. This parking match registration is a free service supported by HRM, however all parking arrangements/costs are up to the discretion of participating individuals.
HRM Corporate Smart Car Program (Commuter trip reduction) In 2009, as part of the Commuter Options  Program, HRM purchased three Smart Cars. This initiative works with staff to encourage the use of sustainable modes of transportation for commuting to work. The hope is that staff will choose more sustainable modes of transportation for commuting when they have the option of using the Smart cars to attend work-related meetings during the workday. HRM anticipates over the next few years there will be a reduction in personal local expense claims as well as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the use of fuel efficient cars.
Guaranteed Ride Home - In 2009 HRM, with financial support from Transport Canada and Conserve Nova Scotia, launched a pilot program for staff and a handful of other local employers (Patterson Law, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Power and the Department of National Defense) called Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH). The GRH programs address the significant barrier of using sustainable transport for the commute to work: employee concerns about not having access to transport in the event of an emergency during the course of their work day. The GRH program may offer a taxi ride home, or to other relevant destinations (e.g. schools, medical facilities), for employees that used a sustainable travel option to commute to work on the day of the emergency. Acting essentially as an insurance program, GRH initiatives have proven an extremely cost-effective approach to attracting both new alternative transportation users and maintaining or increasing participation by existing users.
Sustainability Funding Mechanism for Energy Efficiency – is a funding program where the savings that are realized from energy efficiency projects are returned to fund future energy efficiency initiatives.
Active Transportation Trail Enhancement – Chester Spur Line Acquisition. The Chester Spur  Line is a paved active transportation trail 7.25 kms long and 4 metres wide. It is in an abandoned rail corridor that runs from Timberlea and branches off in two different directions ending at Joseph Howe Drive and the Armdale Rotary. This trail creates a connection from the suburban to the urban active transportation trail network. The bike trails will promote active transportation and provide alternative methods that will reduce the emission of GHGs.
Update on HRM Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency  Project/ Initiatives - December 2009. (PowerPoint)
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