Energy Efficiency

Trent is moving aggressively toward a more efficient campus.  With a $15.5M energy retrofit program currently underway, Trent is striving to be a top performer in campus efficiency.  Since 2014 Trent, Peterborough and Durham campuses combined, has reduced the use of natural gas by 22% and electricity by 14%.  Further reduction is anticipated by 2019.

In the last two years Trent has implemented many energy saving projects.  Some projects have been funded in part by the Provincial Postsecondary Greenhouse Gas Campus Retrofit Program (GGRP). The following are just some of the projects that we have implemented - we will add to this list as project details are finalized.  Click on the links to open more detailed project outlines!

• LED Campus - by the fall of 2018, all lights on campus (more than 40,000) will be replaced with LEDs
• High efficiency boilers - across campus we have replaced boilers for ones that use significantly less energy
• AirCuity System - a smart ventilation system that reduces the number of air changes needed to properly ventilate labs by measuring the air quality in the space and automatically adjusting to bring in more or less air, depending on the test results
• Occupancy Ventilation - Trent is starting to implement a system where we bring more fresh air into our buildings based on room booking data, allowing us to be more efficient by avoiding over ventilation of unoccupied spaces
• Building Envelope - with older buildings on campus an opportunity to save energy was identified through the replacement or features such as weather stripping, door sweeps and caulking.
• Mechanical System Upgrades - often there are opportunities to update older mechanical systems to use newer techniques and technologies for improved energy efficiency.  In Otonabee College Academic two older air systems were replaced and added Variable Ari Volume (or VAV) boxes for greater control and efficiency.