Victoria-made device to keep an eye on energy, heat, water use
Andrew Duffy, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, August 18, 2007
Dockside Green residents, who start moving into their homes next spring, will be able to track and change their energy, heat and water use as well as their carbon footprint, thanks to the installation of a Victoria-made monitoring device.
Reliable Controls MACH-stat system, which is being installed in two Dockside buildings and will eventually be in place throughout the $600-million, 1,000-unit development, will allow residents to keep a close eye on their consumption.
The idea of the monitor aligns with the goals of Dockside, which has been designed to minimize its environmental footprint.
“In our research we found when you put meters in suites that measure hot water, cold water, heat and electricity, when you give people real information, they tend to use less”, said Joe Van Belleghem, Dockside co-developer. “This allows them to compare what they are using one day to the next or one month to the next. And we’ve taken the technology and innovated and modified it so it could also show residents how much carbon they are saving as well.”
Van Belleghem says the device is much more than just the newest piece of environmental technology as there is also a clear economic benefit, especially if a pilot project undertaken by B.C. Hydro to study variable rate pricing is adopted on a larger scale.
Hydro could send messages over the meters saying, “We are in peak energy times and if you don’t use your dryer right now there will be a savings to you”, he offered as an example. Dockside is in discussions with Hydro to be included in an expanded pilot project, Van Belleghem said.
The monitors can also be programmed from remote locations, meaning residents will be able to log on to the Internet from anywhere in the world and manipulate the heat and energy use in their suites.
It’s a feedback tool that should hopefully change peoples behaviours, that’s the biggest strength of it, said Joe LeRoy, controls division manager at Houle Electric, which customized Reliable’s system for the development. If you had your electricity meter at your kitchen table you would be a lot more cognizant of your power demands because it’s right there.
The system Dockside is installing costs about $2,000 per suite. LeRoy said if a homeowner wants to add it to a house, the one-time expense would depend on size and how complex a system is installed.
The typical homeowner would be looking at spending between $2,000 and $3,000 at Houle, which sells Reliables systems.
Dockside is also trumpeting the fact that the technology was developed locally by Reliable Controls, which Van Belleghem argues is part of the sustainability message.
When you do things that makes sense for the environment, the outcomes are often economic wins to residents, but if we start approaching things from a sustainability perspective of supporting our local business, this is good for the local economy and the province, he said.