When communities and technology meet: Municipal success stories
We
are highlighting some of the projects and partnerships that have
benefitted communities through the use of innovative approaches to
sustainability. 
Removing water
to save energy
The County of Antigonish
When your community relies on sewage lagoons to process wastewater,
disposing of the sludge requires fuel to pick up the materials, and
energy to process it. With the purchase of a mobile dewatering truck
from ABCO industries in Lunenburg, which removes liquids from the
sludge, the municipality is now dewatering sludge at its solid waste
management facility, and has been able to close two lagoons. The truck
purchase was $475,000 with contributions through ecoNova Scotia and
other funding streams totaling $250,000, and a municipal contribution of
$225,000.
The answer is blowing in the wind
Anyone who has ever visited or lived in Amherst
will tell you that there is an ample supply of constant and strong
wind. Taking advantage of this renewable resource, the town is
installing a 50 kilowatt wind turbine to help offset the power costs for
the municipality’s wastewater treatment facility. Residents have been
very supportive of these measures, which are expected to reduce power
costs by more than 10%, which is hoped to total $50,000 - $70,000 in
savings per year.
Solar-powered fire hall
Energy management initiatives are saving the Dayspring Volunteer Fire Department (Municipality of Lunenburg)
thousands of dollars a year that can go into much-needed fire and
rescue equipment and training for firefighters. The overall project cost
was just over $17,000. Funding from the Province’s ecoNova Scotia
Municipal Program fund covered approximately 50 percent, while Conserve
Nova Scotia solar rebates covered approximately 12 percent. The balance
was covered by the two project partners, Dayspring & District Volunteer Fire Department and Municipality of the District of Lunenburg.  The
fire department installed two solar heating systems, upgraded its
insulation and installed higher efficiency lighting and a new furnace,
which resulted in a 30% reduction in electricity use and a 35% reduction
in furnace oil costs, far beyond the original savings estimates. "Investing
in reducing energy consumption is a no-brainer. The thirty-four hundred
dollars energy savings in the first year will help us purchase fire and
rescue equipment that is getting more and more expensive. At this rate
we will recover all our capital investment in less than ten years”:
Councillor Frank Fawson.
Using audit information to reap rewards
The Municipality of East Hants
saw several opportunities for energy management following an energy
audit in 2009. A number of facilities were part of the audit, and
several initiatives were undertaken, including lighting upgrades,
building envelope upgrades, and solar water heating in the municipal
pool. The municipality is also installing solar walls on two buildings
to offset its seasonal heating demand. One building is located at the
Waste Management Centre, and the other is at the Regional water
treatment facility. The Municipality is anticipating energy savings from
these sustainability measures as early as 2011. The energy savings will
be used to pay off the debt and financing costs of the energy
management projects. Connie Nolan, Chief Administrative Officer says
“Staff and Council of the Municipality of East Hants are anxious to
consider any sustainability project. With financial considerations being
critical in today's economic climate it is important that the business
case point to the wisdom of doing such projects and the funds provided
by ecoNova Scotia helped to reduce the payback periods estimated for the
projects they funded."
Preserving the past with new technology
 The town office in New Glasgow
was originally constructed as one of the first post offices in Canada
in 1884. Historic buildings are notoriously difficult to insulate, heat
and cool, but the installation of state-of-the-art heat pumps has
generated cost-savings, even from modern heat pumps installed in 1999.
Other retrofits to the library and local stadium are expected to result
in total energy savings of nearly $35,000 a year. The heat pumps
realized an air pollution reduction of 10 tonnes in the first four
months of operation.
Keeping things cool in Inverness
The Dr. Bernie MacLean Cultural and Recreation Centre
in the County of Inverness is a beehive of activity, especially in the
winter months. Whether it’s hockey, curling or seniors’ skating, the
centre is an important asset.  Following
an energy audit, the volunteer-run Inverness Arena Commission opted for
a new energy efficient compressor for the rink, which runs on ammonia
instead of freon. In addition, the lights were changed to
high-efficiency fluorescent lighting in the rink, to reduce heat
production and save electricity on lighting. With the new system up and
running, the arena commission is anticipating a savings of 45% on their
power bill in 2011, which will hopefully keep community rental costs
stable, and ensure that the centre continues to offer programs for many
years to come.
Face-to-face meetings without the travel
When
you’re trying to coordinate meetings among all of the province’s
municipalities, it can involve a lot of travel. The Association of
Municipal Administrators of Nova Scotia (AMANS) is installing a video
conferencing system that will help reduce the need for travel for AMANS
staff, as well as municipalities. The municipal partners are very
excited about this project, and are looking forward to having the video
conferencing system in place in the near future. Not only will the
project save mileage costs and reduce the organization’s carbon
footprint, it will save staff a great deal of travel time that can be
put toward other tasks. “The municipal community in Nova Scotia is
always looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint. This project,
which allows for face-to-face communication even when people are miles
away, should result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, travel
budgets and staff time away from the office. It's a move towards
building healthier communities in Nova Scotia.” Janice Wentzell,
Executive Director of AMANS.
A pool, a partnership, and a plan
An example of how one good idea can blossom into another good idea took place in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
Council started out looking for a way to cut the costs for heating the
water in the community pool. Propane heating was costing the community
as much as $10,000 per year. After discussions with the Strait Regional
School Board, the project grew to include solar panels for pool water
heating, domestic hot water and air heating for Chedabucto Place, which
houses the local P-12 school and the pool.  The
project will also incorporate ongoing learning opportunities by putting
the solar panels in a visible place and setting up an interactive
computer system to allow students to see how the temperature of the air
and water are controlled. Solar panels are also going to be installed on
the municipal building. It is hoped that the municipality will save
about $8,800 a year on propane alone and the project will pay for itself
in a little over five years. "This
project started out as a Municipal concern of high energy costs for
pool heating, but grew into an exciting Green Energy project that we are
very proud of. Municipal Governments are to lead by example and to
build partnerships, and this is a great example of our Municipality
doing both. We continue to build on our partnerships with the Strait
Regional School and the Province and through this process, we will all
benefit environmentally and financially while providing a direct
educational opportunity for our youth. This project is a 'win-win' for
all."
Energy savings by the book
The People’s Place, a new library complex in Antigonish,
will be a model for using sustainable energy practices. Funding from
EcoNova Scotia allowed the project to put in a geothermal heating and
cooling system, add energy efficient Solara windows to reduce glare,
saving cooling and heating costs, and install self-venting skylights and
controls.  These
measures will reduce the operating costs to the municipality, but
equally important is the community’s support of these measures.
Throughout the project’s evolution there has been a great deal of
citizen engagement – and energy efficiency was identified as a top
priority. Displays and a walking tour will demonstrate all the
sustainable elements of the new building when construction is complete.
Stable water bills thanks to energy reduction
Water
and wastewater treatment plants aren’t top of mind pieces of
infrastructure for most citizens, but they are definitely necessary for
municipalities. After an energy audit, the Municipality of the County of
Richmond realized how much energy their wastewater treatment facilities
were using. The county identified upgrades to treatment plants in
Petit-de-Grat, Louisdale and Arichat that would be a worthwhile
investment with lasting benefits. Improvements to the efficiency of the
pumps and motors will reduce energy demand, and it is hoped that the
project will pay for itself inside of five years. “Reducing
our carbon footprint and energy consumption enables us to keep costs of
operating these facilities down, which has a benefit to taxpayers.
Hopefully sometime in the future we won’t have to raise taxes for waste
water and potable water because of this investment.” Warden John Boudreau.
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