“With the assistance of the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and Affinity Credit Union, the YMCA conducted an upgrade of our lighting. We are currently saving almost $14,000 per year on our lighting costs.”
Ken Muggeridge | CEO, Saskatoon YMCA
Affinity Credit Union and the Saskatchewan Environmental Society have been working together since 2000 to make it easier for non-profit organizations to reduce their utility expenditures through energy conservation. Up until August 2009, assessments have been conducted for 38 buildings. The assessments have identified potential savings averaging 22% or $7500/year per building, for a total potential greenhouse gas saving of 2.2 million kg CO2/year.
Who Can Participate?
Affinity Credit Union will fund this program for non-profit organizations that operate in the region they serve and who own their own building.
What does the program involve?
Organizations receive, free of charge:
Preliminary Energy Assessment of your facility, (not a complete energy audit) providing an overview of your building’s energy savings potential. Written Report outlining the findings of the Preliminary Energy Assessment. Where reasonable, estimates of costs and savings associated with changes are provided. Presentation of the Results of the Assessment by the SES Energy Conservation Projects Coordinator. Loan Consultations with Affinity Credit Union if desired. Utility Monitoring following retrofits to confirm the effectivenss of the retrofits.
What is required?
▪ Sign a release giving the SES access to your energy consumption data. Note that this information will be used only for assessing energy conservation options and the effectiveness of retrofits.
▪ Be available to accompany the auditor during the assessment (approximately 2 hours).
▪ Allow the SES to monitor the energy savings achieved by the energy conservation retrofits.
Program Benefits
▪ Non-profit organizations can get control of their energy costs (electricity, gas and water) and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing their energy consumption.
▪ Increased energy efficiency has a positive financial impact for many years.
▪ Current technology can reduce utility costs in buildings by 10% to 30%.
Retrofit Loans
Affinity Credit Union is prepared to provide loans to eligible non-profit organizations, and understands the merits of using energy savings to repay a loan. They can tailor your payments to fit your savings. These loans can cover expenses such as:
▪ A comprehensive Energy Audit by a qualified engineer.
▪ Materials and Labour to complete the retrofit.
Project Management or technical assistance expenses
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is very excited about this collaboration. We feel that it shows considerable foresight on the part of Affinity Credit Union. Not only is it good for the environment, but it also allows SES to help other non-profit organizations. Demands on non-profits are increasing, while funding is decreasing. An investment in energy conservation will have a positive financial impact on an organization for many years. If you know of any non-profit organizations in the Affinity Credit Union business area that you feel might be interested in this program, please contact:
Angie Bugg | Energy Conservation Coordinator
Saskatchewan Environmental Society
angieb@environmentalsociety.ca (306) 665-1915
Rich Harries, Community Development Manager Affinity Credit Union (306) 934-4034 rich.harries@affinitycu.ca
