Devon completes energy-efficient upgrades

DEVON -- Energy-efficient upgrades have been completed at two local facilities in the Town of Devon.

The upgrades were completed at the Devon Community Centre and the Devon Fire Hall, with funding from the Government of Alberta's Municipal Climate Change Action Centre. Torrie Sanducci -- Devon's Manager of Environment and Sustainability -- says the Fire Hall has received 91 new LED lights, replacing outdated bulbs in areas including the truck bays, offices, hallways, and training spaces. He notes that this comes on top of various other recent upgrades.

"Most recently the lighting, but I believe we had some boiler upgrades, and some infrared lighting replaced as well," said Sanducci in conversation with the One. "It is quite an outdated building, and I know we're also looking at replacing the roof."

For the Community Centre, a total of 162 LED lights were installed, replacing old bulbs in spaces such as the main hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and storage areas. Sanducci says this builds on other recent work at the facility.

"I know we've recently replaced a water heater when that went offline," said Sanducci. "A few years back we got some solar panels as well -- so those are the two most recent ones."

The improvements to the Community Centre and Fire Hall are expected to save the Town approximately $3,300 in energy costs every year, while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The MCCAC is a partnership between Alberta Municipalities, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and the Government of Alberta. Sanducci talks about what makes these sorts of investments important. 

"When it comes to things like climate action and energy efficiency, it doesn't really have to be complicated or costly," said Sanducci. "Something like this is easy to do, and obviously the savings speak for themselves. They're quite significant and relatively low cost compared to other upgrades as well."

The Town of Devon has also hired a pair of consulting firms to complete an energy assessment of the Town Hall. With continued support from MCCAC’s Community Energy Conservation Program, the Town says this assessment will help identify future opportunities to improve energy efficiency in municipal buildings.