At its regular meeting July 13, Town of Peace River council were given an update from its municipal energy manager on work that has been done to analyze municipal facility energy use.
Municipal energy manager Shaun Jacobsen has completed energy scans on all municipal buildings to determine where the inefficiencies of the buildings lie and where council can make no cost, low cost, and long-term changes to help reduce its energy use and thus the municipality’s expenses and its greenhouse gas emissions.
“Today’s presentation is how the energy management program has moved from baseline development into action planning,” Jacobsen said at the regular meeting.
“The focus is not on reviewing every technical detail but showing how the information, we have built can support future decisions around operating cost, facility renewal, grant readiness, and long-term planning.”
Peace River’s Energy Management began in May 2025 and has helped to develop core program pieces, according to Jacobsen. The work and energy baseline analysis is meant to help determine where energy use is concentrated across the corporate portfolio.
“The governance discussion is about how council can help ensure energy performance, life cycle cost resilience, and funding alignment are visible before major facility decisions are locked in,” said Jacobsen.
“The program has built a measured starting point; the next step is using that information to support better decisions.”
Jacobsen started by identifying the facilities, gathering utility data, organizing the portfolio, and creating a reliable baseline. He’s now at the juncture where governance, grants and capital planning integration can be completed.
“The work has now moved beyond basic utility tracking,” says Jacobsen. “The town now has the core tools needed to make better decisions around facility operations, capital planning, grant readiness, and long-term energy performance.”
The energy management team organized the energy portfolio into two categories: Main Facilities and Water Infrastructure. Main Facilities include recreation and culture facilities, administrative and office buildings, fire halls and public works, parks and community assets, and the public library. The Water Infrastructure buildings include the water and wastewater treatment facility, lift stations, reservoirs and booster station, intake pumphouse, and water keylock.
Jacobsen explains where the two types of buildings differ is in benchmarking.
“Main facilities can generally be compared against pure building types,” he says.
“The distinction is important because it keeps the reporting fair.”
Jacobsen provided total energy use to council including 5,703,200 kWh that was used in direct electricity use and 31,279 GJ in natural gas use. He explains the energy calculated will give the town a clear starting point for tracking its energy use. A complete breakdown of all facility energy use included 12,362 GJ of energy at Baytex Energy Centre, 13,134 GJ at Shaftesbury Water treatment plant, 7,151 GJ at Peace Regional Pool, 5,854 GJ at Wastewater Treatment Plant, and 3,164 GJ at public works buildings.
The next step for the Energy Management team is conducting energy scans on corporate buildings, according to Jacobson.
“The scan brings the portfolio level data down to a facility level,” explains Jacobsen.
“It is a walkthrough review of building systems, operating conditions, equipment, controls, and practical improvement opportunities.”
The energy scans will turn the portfolio data and facility observations into practical opportunities that can be prioritized, scoped, and advanced through normal capital planning. The energy scan will include a walkthrough review of building systems and operations, utility and facility data review, identification of practical energy opportunities, and early screening for savings, cost, risk, and grant alignment.
Jacobsen’s 2026 Energy Scan coverage includes the Peace Regional Pool, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fire Hall #1, public works, and the public library.
Some of the Energy Management Opportunities presented by Jacobson included replacing pool boilers with condensing boilers at Peace Regional Pool, adding washroom occupancy sensors at the Peace Regional Pool, installing an air curtain with door controls at the pool, destratification fans installed at the Fire Hall #1, adding solar demonstration array to the Peace River Municipal Library, and completing an LED Bay Lighting Retrofit at Public Works.
Jacobsen’s complete list identifies a mix of quick wins, capital upgrades, and grant- aligned projects that can guide future planning and implementation decisions.
Jacobsen provided some grant opportunities for council to consider implementing some of the measures he identified.
“These governance directions help move energy management from one kind of scans into repeatable planning, budgeting, and reporting practices,” he concluded.
“The next phase is focused on moving from setup into implementation and tracking.”
The Municipal Energy Program funding provided by Municipal Climate Change Action Centre will come to an end in May 2027.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
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