Q1 Demand Side Management Report - Amazon Web Services...SUMMARY In the first quarter (Q1) of 2017,...

Date Filed: May 31, 2017

Efficiency Nova Scotia is a franchise awarded by the Province of Nova Scotia to

EfficiencyOne, an independent not-for-profit corporation. The franchise was created

to help Nova Scotians reduce their energy consumption and improve their energy

efficiency and conservation at home and at work.

Q1 Demand Side Management Report

2017 Quarter One Activity for the period January 1 to March 31, 2017

Q1 2017 Demand Side Management Report

Date Filed: May 31, 2017 i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Quarterly Highlights................................................................................................................................ 1

Residential Sector Highlights ......................................................................................................... 5

Business, Non-Profit and Institutional Sector Highlights .................................................... 15

Low Income Highlights .................................................................................................................. 23

Other Activities at a Glance ............................................................................................................. 24

Enabling Strategies ......................................................................................................................... 24

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 30

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: 2017 Approved Targets, Mid-Course Adjustments and Q1 Results ....................... 2

Table 2: Participation and Unit Cost ................................................................................................ 3

Table 3: 2017 Year-To-Date Programs Rate Code Allocations .............................................. 4

Table 4: Year-to-Date Residential Results ..................................................................................... 7

Table 5: EPR Rate Class Results (Residential) ............................................................................. 9

Table 6: Existing Residential Rate Class Results ........................................................................ 11

Table 7: New Residential Rate Class Results .............................................................................. 14

Table 8: Year-to-Date BNI Results .................................................................................................. 16

Table 9: EPR Rate Class Results (BNI) .......................................................................................... 18

Table 10: Custom Incentives Rate Class Results ........................................................................ 19

Table 11: Direct Installation Rate Class Results .......................................................................... 23

Table 12: Low Income Results ......................................................................................................... 24

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: 2017 Year-to-Date Actual DSM Expenditure ............................................................... 5

Figure 2: 2017 Year-to-Date and Targeted DSM Program Results (Residential) ............ 6

Figure 3: 2016 Year-to-Date and Targeted DSM Program Results (BNI) ......................... 16

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Update on 2016 Evaluation Recommendations


Date Filed: May 31, 2017 Page 1 of 30

SUMMARY

In the first quarter (Q1) of 2017, the Efficiency Nova Scotia (ENS) franchise achieved

21.4 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 5.0 MW of net peak demand savings

with an expenditure of $5.7 million. These results are consistent with past years and

trends. As in prior years, several initiatives, such as the Instant Savings in-store

campaigns, are planned for launch after Q1.

Based on these considerations, ENS expects to achieve its 2017 planned net

incremental energy and net peak demand savings of 136.5 GWh and 21.0 MW,

respectively, with an investment of $34.6 million.

QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS

ENS’s original Compliance Filing plan, the 2017 mid-course adjusted plan, and Q1

results are presented in Table 1, below. Program participation and unit cost data is

presented in Table 2, below.

Please note, the 2017 mid-course adjustments were discussed in ENS’s 2017 Annual

Progress Report, filed with the UARB on March 31, 2017 (M07964), but are also

provided below for ease of reference. In accordance with the 2016-2018 DSM

Resource Plan Consensus Agreement, an explanation is provided for the substantial

mid-course adjustment for the Residential Efficient Product Rebates and New

Residential programs, as they exceed the 25 percent threshold for energy and/or

investment variances.1 Please see the corresponding Residential Efficient Product

Rebates and New Residential sections below.

1 See M06733, NSUARB Decision, The Public Utilities Act and An Application for Approval of a Supply Agreement for electricity efficiency and conservation activities between EfficiencyOne and Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, the establishment of a final agreement between the parties, and approval of a 2016-2018 Demand Side Management Resource Plan (12 Aug 2015), 2015 NSUARB 204 at Appendix D, Appendix “A”, item 5(d) (available on CanLII).



Table 1: 2017 Approved Plan, Mid-Course Adjustments and Q1 Results

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited 1As agreed to in the UARB-approved 2016-2018 DSM Plan Consensus Agreement, ENS is now reporting on lifetime energy savings. See M06733, NSUARB Decision, The Public Utilities Act and An Application for Approval of a Supply Agreement for electricity efficiency and conservation activities between EfficiencyOne and Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, the establishment of a final agreement between the parties, and approval of a 2016-2018 Demand Side Management Resource Plan (12 Aug 2015), 2015 NSUARB 204 at Appendix D, Appendix “A”, item 3(c)(iii) (available on CanLII). The methodology of estimating lifetime energy savings for the 2017 Mid-Course Adjustment and Actuals is more sophisticated than what was used for the 2017 Plan, and remains under development and subject to change. 2Green denotes a variance of less than 10% below the planned annual energy savings, yellow denotes a variance of 10% to 25% below the planned annual energy savings, and red denotes a variance of greater than 25% below the planned annual energy savings. For more information on these variances, please refer to the relevant program description sections of this report. 3Reflects tracked and estimated participation by low income customers; numbers are included in the overall Efficient Product Rebates (Residential and BNI), Existing Residential, Custom Incentives, and Direct Installation programs.

ResidentialEfficient Product Rebates 12.6 125.9 1.1 3.3 22.6 339.8 3.6 5.2 0.5 4.5 0.1 0.4

Instant Savings 20.0 317.9 3.3 3.5 0.1 1.2 0.0 0.2 Appliance Retirement 2.6 21.9 0.3 1.7 0.4 3.3 0.1 0.2

Existing Residential 43.3 840.0 7.9 10.6 33.4 538.3 6.5 8.2 6.9 121.0 1.9 1.6 Home Energy Assessment 5.4 144.5 1.3 2.2 1.7 46.1 0.5 0.5 Green Heat 3.5 63.6 1.7 0.9 0.8 14.6 0.5 0.2 Efficient Product Installation 24.4 330.3 3.6 5.2 4.4 60.3 0.9 0.9

New Residential 3.9 117.0 1.1 1.3 4.0 139.3 0.9 1.8 0.7 23.4 0.2 0.2 New Home Construction 4.0 139.3 0.9 1.8 0.7 23.4 0.2 0.2

Residential Subtotal 59.8 1,082.9 10.1 15.2 60.0 1,017.3 11.1 15.3 8.0 148.8 2.2 2.2

Low Income 3 7.8 151.3 1.0 1.8 9.5 128.4 1.4 2.4 1.5 20.9 0.3 0.4

Business, Non-Profit and Institutional (BNI)

Efficient Product Rebates 32.6 437.9 5.3 5.7 37.2 410.3 5.9 6.2 9.0 99.7 2.3 1.3

Business Energy Rebates 37.2 410.3 5.9 6.2 9.0 99.7 2.3 1.3

Custom Incentives 34.1 524.0 4.3 6.5 30.5 380.0 2.2 6.0 2.7 41.4 0.3 0.7

Custom 24.8 374.3 1.9 4.8 2.7 41.4 0.3 0.5

Energy Management Information Systems 4.0 4.0 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Strategic Energy Management 1.7 1.7 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1

Direct Installation 10.0 140.3 1.4 3.6 8.8 116.1 1.9 3.9 1.6 21.2 0.3 0.8

Small Business Energy Solutions 8.8 116.1 1.9 3.9 1.6 21.2 0.3 0.8

BNI Subtotal 76.7 1,102.2 11.0 15.8 76.5 906.4 10.0 16.1 13.4 162.3 2.9 2.8

Low Income 3 - - - - 4.0 50.1 0.6 0.9 1.7 19.8 0.9 0.3

Programs Total 136.5 2,185.1 21.1 31.0 136.5 1,923.8 21.0 31.3 21.4 311.1 5.0 5.0

Enabling Strategies - - - 3.1 - - - 3.3 - - - 0.7

TOTAL 136.5 2,185.1 21.1 34.0 136.5 1,923.8 21.0 34.6 21.4 311.1 5.0 5.7

2017 Plan as Filed 2017 Mid-Course Adjustment 2017 Actual (Q1)

Lifetime Energy Savings1

(GWh)

Peak Demand Savings (MW)

Expenditures ($ million)

Program Status2

First-Year Energy Savings (GWh)


(GWh)


Budget($ million)



(GWh)


Budget($ million)




Table 2: Participation Rates and Unit Cost

1First-year unit cost is provided to two decimal places due to relative magnitude of the figures. ENS will provide comments on unit cost variances (YTD unit costs as compared to mid-course adjusted unit costs) of 10% or more. For more information on these variances, please refer to the relevant program description sections of this report. Unit costs are calculated using energy and demand savings at the generator, net of free-ridership and spillover. 2Each participating EMIS and SEM project is counted once for the year, although participation in the program component is ongoing and most facilities generate savings every month.

2017 Actual (Q1)

Participation Unit2017 Plan as Filed

Mid-Course Adjustment

2017 Actual (Q1)

Residential

Efficient Product Rebates 0.26 0.23 0.86

Instant Savings 467 Units rebated

Appliance Retirement 779 Units rebated

Existing Residential 0.25 0.25 0.23

Home Energy Assessment 238 Housing units

Green Heat 222 Housing units

Efficient Product Installation 2,943 Housing units

New Residential 0.33 0.45 0.32

New Home Construction 98 Participants

Residential Subtotal 0.25 0.25 0.27

Low Income 0.23 0.25 0.26

BNI

Efficient Product Rebates 0.17 0.17 0.15

Business Energy Rebates - Mail-In 2,636 Units rebated

Business Energy Rebates - Instant 66,100 Units rebated

Custom Incentives 0.19 0.20 0.26

Custom 25 Projects

Energy Management Information Systems2 7 Participants

Strategic Energy Management2 0 Participants

Direct Installation 0.36 0.44 0.49

Small Business Energy Solutions 72 Projects

BNI Subtotal 0.21 0.21 0.21

Low Income - 0.23 0.15

Programs Total 0.23 0.23 0.23

Enabling Strategies - - -

Total 0.25 0.25 0.27

Participation First-Year Unit Cost1

($/kWh)



ENS remains committed to reporting on rate-class expenditures while ensuring it

achieves its planned overall energy savings within its approved investment amount.

Table 3 provides a breakdown by rate code of the planned mid-course adjusted

expenditures compared to year-to-date rate code expenditures.

Table 3: 2017 Year-To-Date Programs Rate Code Allocations

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Expenditure amounts are unaudited.

Figure 1 presents a year-to-date breakdown, by category, of ENS’s actual DSM expenditures.

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4) 17.5 2.6Small General (10) 1.1 0.2General Demand (11) 10.1 2.0Large General (12) 1.1 0.1Small Industrial (21) 1.2 0.2Medium Industrial (22) 1.2 0.1Large Industrial (23, 25) 1.7 0.4Municipal (24) 0.7 0.1Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0Total 34.6 5.7

Rate CodePlanned 2017 Expenditures

($ million)

Actual 2017 - YTD Expenditures

($ million)



Figure 1: 2017 Year-to-Date Actual DSM Expenditures

Numbers are unaudited and rounded to the nearest thousand. Expenditure amounts are unaudited.

During Q1 of 2017, ENS continued working on a number of pilot projects within both

the Residential and BNI sectors to build a diverse program and measure portfolio

that responds to market needs. These initiatives were designed based on ENS’s

expertise in delivering electricity efficiency activities in Nova Scotia and are detailed

in the relevant program sections below.

Residential Sector Highlights

The Residential sector achieved 8.0 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 2.2

MW of net peak demand savings in Q1. Based on these results and past trends, ENS

expects to achieve its 2017 mid-course adjusted planned savings of 60.0 GWh and

11.1 MW, as shown in Figure 2, below.

$3,156 56%

$26 0%

$133 2%

$356 6%

$1,475 26%

$223 4%

$318 6%

2017 Actual DSM Expenditures($ thousand and % percentage breakdown)

Incentives

Evaluation &verification

Program support

Marketing, outreach& education

Salaries, benefits &training

Informationtechnology

Other



The Residential Sector consists of the following programs:

• Efficient Product Rebates;

• Existing Residential; and

• New Residential.

Figure 2: Planned 2017 Savings and Year-to-Date DSM Program Results (Residential)

Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. *“Planned 2017 Savings” refers to the planned annual mid-course adjusted savings.

Table 4 provides year-to-date tracked Q1 Residential net incremental energy savings,

net peak demand savings, and expenditures for comparison with the annual plan and

budget.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Per

cent

age

of

Pla

nned

Sav

ing

s

Energy Savings Peak Demand Savings

Year-to-dateResultsPlanned2017Savings*

60 GWh 11.1 MW

8 GWh2.2 MW



Table 4: Year-to-Date Residential Results

Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. * “Annual Planned Amount” refers to the planned annual mid-course adjusted amount.

Efficient Product Rebates (Residential)

The Residential Efficient Product Rebates (EPR) program consists of two program

components:

• Instant Savings; and

• Appliance Retirement.

The 2017 EPR program has mid-course adjusted planned net incremental energy and

net peak demand savings of 22.6 GWh and 3.6 MW respectively, with a

corresponding investment of $5.2 million compared to the Compliance Filing plan of

12.6 GWh, 1.1 MW, and $3.3 million, respectively.

This substantial change from the Compliance Filing can be attributed to the

particularly strong success of the Instant Savings program component in 2016. ENS

anticipates continuing this momentum in 2017 with a high uptake in point-of-sale

LED rebates and other energy efficient products. The increase in predicted savings is

based on sales forecasts from participating retailers, along with the updated

evaluation results.

Higher savings are expected from Instant Savings in 2017 than were forecast at the

time of the Compliance Filing in 2015, and a larger budget has been allocated for this

program component as a result. ENS expects to achieve these savings through the

sale of approximately 500,000 energy efficient products. Retailers have indicated

that the spring and fall campaigns are also responsible for driving sales during non-

campaign times, which was captured as spillover in the 2016 evaluation report, and is

Residential

Energy Savings (GWh)

Demand Savings (MW)

Expenditures ($M)

First-Year Unit Cost ($/kWh)

Quarter YTD

Annual Planned Amount*

Quarter YTD Annual Planned Amount*

Quarter YTD Annual Planned Amount*

YTD

Q1 8.0 8.0 60.0 2.2 2.2 11.1 2.2 2.2 15.3 0.27



expected to continue in 2017. ENS introduced a price-floor on certain LED measures

in 2017 to ensure that rebated prices remain fair and reasonable, which also informed

the 2017 mid-course adjustment for EPR.

In Q1 of 2017, the EPR program achieved 0.5 GWh of net incremental energy savings

and 0.1 MW of net peak demand savings. Based on these results and past trends

reflecting the significant impact of the spring and fall campaigns in Q2 and Q4 of

2016, ENS expects that EPR will meet its mid-course adjusted planned savings of

22.6 GWh in net incremental energy savings and 3.6 MW of net peak demand

savings.

The 2017 Q1 unit cost for EPR of $0.86/kWh, in comparison to the planned mid-

course adjusted unit cost of $0.23/kWh, is consistent with past trends. This is due

primarily to the absence of an Instant Savings sales campaign during Q1. Rebates

were only offered on appliances during this time, and these have a higher unit cost.

ENS expects this unit cost variance to be mitigated by year-end as the savings from

the spring sales campaign in Q2 are realized, as well as an additional sales campaign

in the fall of 2017.

A year-to-date breakdown of net incremental energy and net peak demand savings,

expenditures, and participation by rate class for EPR is presented in Table 5.



Table 5: EPR Rate Class Results (Residential)

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. Residential Efficient Product Rebates includes the Appliance Retirement and Instant Savings program components. Appliance Retirement includes appliance replacements delivered through the HomeWarming service. *The Appliance Retirement program component collects eligible residential appliances from BNI customers (e.g., rental apartment buildings, condominium buildings, and community groups on commercial rate codes), in addition to residential customers.

Instant Savings

Instant Savings provides point-of-sale discounts to retail customers. In Q1, Instant

Savings achieved 0.1 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 0.0 MW of net peak

demand savings.

Research for the Mid-Stream Electronics Pilot was undertaken in Q1. This pilot aims

to determine the impact on sales of qualifying ENERGY STAR® certified products

when incentives are offered to the retailer, as opposed to the customer, and is

expected to launch in Q4.2

2 At present, the Instant Savings program component offers an incentive to the participant at the point-of-sale for eligible items. In this pilot, the incentive is offered to the retailer but at a lower rate than that offered to the customer within the existing program component.

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4) 0.5 4.4 0.1 396 1,218Small General (10)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 5General Demand (11)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 5Large General (12)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Small Industrial (21)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 2Medium Industrial (22)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 1Large Industrial (23, 25)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Municipal (24) 0.0 0.0 0.0 5 15Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Total 0.5 4.5 0.1 404 1,246

Residential EfficientProduct Rebates

(2017 - YTD)

First-Year

Energy Savings(GWh)

Lifetime Energy Savings(GWh)

Peak Demand Savings(MW)

Expenditures($ thousand)

Units Rebated

(#)



Appliance Retirement

The Appliance Retirement component contributed 0.4 GWh of net incremental

energy savings and 0.1 MW of net peak demand savings in Q1 through the retirement

of 779 appliances, with 72 appliances retired or replaced for low income participants.

In 2016, ENS began data collection for a pilot project in partnership with the Halifax

Regional School Board (HRSB), to identify appliances that qualify for retirement.

Analyses determined that more than 30 percent of the units identified (408 of 1254

units) are eligible for retirement through Appliance Retirement. Using this data, ENS

is now working actively with the HRSB Energy Manager to communicate with school

administrators about the energy savings potential of appliance retirement and to

coordinate appliance pick-ups.

Q1 also saw the continuation of another pilot project that started in early 2016, where

additional rebates could be claimed on select mini-appliances when accompanying

an eligible large appliance.3

Appliance Retirement marketing efforts in Q1 included:

• a take-home postcard for 1,000 students as part of a Green Schools program,

to encourage appliance retirement; and

• a direct mail out to over 20, 000 small businesses across Nova Scotia to

encourage appliance retirement.

Existing Residential

The Existing Residential program achieved 6.9 GWh of net incremental energy

savings and 1.9 MW of net peak demand savings in Q1. ENS expects the Existing

Residential program will meet mid-course adjusted planned savings of 33.4 GWh of

net energy savings and 6.5 MW of net peak demand savings for 2017.

3 Effective January 2016, Appliance Retirement began offering a $10 incentive on small appliances with an internal volume of less than 10 Cu. Ft., when accompanied by a full size eligible appliance.



Existing Residential includes three components:

• Home Energy Assessment;

• Green Heat; and

• Efficient Product Installation.4

A breakdown of year-to-date net incremental energy and net peak demand savings,

expenditures, and participation by rate class for the Existing Residential program is

presented in Table 6.

Table 6: Existing Residential Rate Class Results

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. Existing Residential includes the Home Energy Assessment, Green Heat, and Efficient Product Installation program components. The Home Energy Assessment program component is mainly comprised of homes heated by electricity. As homes heated primarily by non-electric fuels generate a small amount of electricity savings, they receive a small amount of DSM funding and are counted here. *Apartment building housing units are each counted once.

4 Efficient Product Installation (EPI) was previously referred to as Residential Direct Install (RDI) in the 2017 Mid Course Adjustment filing within ENS’s 2017 DSM Annual Progress Report (see M07964, In the Matter of the Public Utilities Act, RSNS 1989, c 390, as amended and In the Matter of Efficiency Nova Scotia’s 2017 Annual Progress Report, ENS 2017 DSM Annual Progress Report, Filed 31 March 2017). The RDI program component name was changed to EPI in 2017 to more accurately reflect the service offered, however, the mid-course adjusted targets remain the same.

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4) 6.7 117.7 1.9 1,540 3,329Small General (10) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 2General Demand (11) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Large General (12) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Small Industrial (21) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Medium Industrial (22) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Large Industrial (23, 25) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Municipal (24) 0.2 3.3 0.0 47 72Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Total 6.9 121.0 1.9 1,587 3,403

Existing Residential(2017 Actual - YTD)

First-Year

Energy Savings(GWh)




Housing Units(#)*



Home Energy Assessments

Home Energy Assessments (HEA) contributed 1.7 GWh of net incremental energy

savings and 0.5 MW of net peak demand savings in Q1, through the retrofit of 238

homes.

In Q1, HEA underwent a process improvement initiative. The focus of this initiative

was to review all internal program processes, and investigate methods to streamline,

automate, eliminate, or otherwise reduce the time it takes to perform a given

process. Improvements were made to existing administrative processes and

information management tools were created to assist in administration, in order to

streamline the program delivery.

Q1 also saw a media campaign in the last week of February and throughout March,

comprising TV and online advertisements, as well as sponsored ads on social media

sites.

Green Heat

Green Heat contributed 0.8 GWh and 0.5 MW in net incremental energy and net

peak demand savings respectively for Q1. Mini-split heat pumps contributed the most

to these savings. Green Heat saw 222 participants in Q1 with 81 percent installing a

mini-split heat pump.

In March 2017, Green Heat launched a successful online and social media marketing

campaign which resulted in increased webpage traffic and application downloads

(2,392 downloads in March compared to 1,045 in January and February combined).

Efficient Product Installation

Efficient Product Installation (EPI) is comprised of the former Residential Direct

Install (RDI) and Rental Properties and Condos (RPC) program components, within

the Existing Residential Program. These two components merged to form EPI on



January 1, 2017, facilitating the offering of a more consistent line of products in

households across Nova Scotia.5

EPI achieved 4.4 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 0.9 MW of net peak

demand savings in Q1, reflecting the direct installation of low-cost energy-efficient

measures in 2,943 homes, of which over one third self-identify as low income

households.

EPI also engaged in targeted marketing in Q1 to regions with low historical

participation. This, along with referrals, contributed to the Q1 EPI savings.

New Residential

The New Residential program, marketed as New Home Construction (NHC), has 2017

mid-course adjusted planned net incremental energy and net peak demand savings

targets of 4.0 GWh and 0.9 MW, respectively, with a corresponding investment of

$1.8 million, compared to the Compliance Filing plan of 3.9 GWh, 1.1 MW, and $1.3

million, respectively.

To address program participants’ ongoing feedback indicating a need for higher

incentives to facilitate building energy efficient homes, ENS has explored a number

of alternative incentive structures that increase incentives while maintaining

expected levels of cost-effectiveness. Based on this information, as well as Evaluator

and Verifier recommendations, ENS is updating its NHC incentives in Q2 of 2017.6

5 In previous years, the RPC component offered an increased range of products, such as chandelier bulbs, for tenants, as compared to those offered within the RDI component. Under the new contracts within EPI, Delivery Agents must provide these products for all dwelling types province-wide. 6 New Home Construction Program, 2015 DSM Evaluation: Efficiency Nova Scotia, Final Report, 3 March 2016, Econoler at Recommendation 2015 NHC-R2; Verification Review of Program Year 2015 Evaluation Results: Report for the Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board, 31 May 2015 [sic], H. Gil Peach & Associates/Scan America® at p 43-44; and New Residential Program, 2016 DSM Evaluation: Efficiency Nova Scotia, Final Report, 8 March 2017, Econoler at p 5 and 24.



This increase in incentives will create a significant variance between the planned

investment in the Compliance Filing and the mid-course adjusted investment for

NHC. ENS is confident that this variance is appropriate in light of the feedback and

expert recommendations indicated above, and as NHC projects have among the

longest measure lives of all ENS measures.

In Q1 of 2017, NHC achieved 0.7 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 0.2 MW

of net peak demand savings. Based on these results and current trends, ENS expects

NHC will achieve its 2017 mid-course adjusted planned savings of 4.0 GWh and 0.9

MW.

A breakdown of year-to-date net incremental energy and net peak demand savings,

expenditures and participation by rate class for the New Residential program is

presented in Table 7.

Table 7: New Residential Rate Class Results

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. New Residential includes the New Home Construction program component.

The Q1 cost variance of -40 percent, as compared to the planned mid-course

adjusted unit cost, is largely a result of the incentive increases in NHC not coming

into effect until Q2. As a result, Q1 rebates were for lower amounts than anticipated

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4) 0.6 22.6 0.2 203 95Small General (10) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0General Demand (11) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Large General (12) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Small Industrial (21) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Medium Industrial (22) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Large Industrial (23, 25) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Municipal (24) 0.0 0.7 0.0 12 3Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Total 0.7 23.4 0.2 215 98

New Residential(2017 Actual - YTD)

First-Year

Energy Savings(GWh)




Participants (#)



for 2017 in the mid-course adjusted target. It is anticipated that the year-to-date unit

cost will increase over time due to the incentive increases taking effect through the

rest of the year.7

The Passive House pilot launched in September, 2016 and three site assessments

were completed in Q1. These are anticipated to result in energy savings later this

year.

In Q1, the outgoing NHC program manager was elected to the Canadian Home

Builders’ Association technical committee for the Net Zero Energy building standard

and the incoming NHC program manager has become the first certified Passive

House verifier in Canada.

Business, Non-Profit and Institutional Sector Highlights

The Business, Non-Profit and Institutional (BNI) sector achieved 13.4 GWh of net

incremental energy savings and 2.9 MW of net peak demand savings in Q1, compared

to the planned mid-course adjusted net incremental energy savings and net peak

demand savings of 76.5 GWh and 10.0 MW respectively, as shown in Figure 3, below.

The 2016 BNI Sector consists of the following programs:

• Efficient Product Rebates;

• Custom Incentives; and

• Direct Installation.

7 NHC rebates were increased effective May 1, 2017. Rebates increased from $1,000 to $2,000 for homes rated ENERGY STAR® certified EnerGuide 85-87 and from $2,000 to $5,000 for homes R2000 certified or rated EnerGuide 88 or greater.



Figure 3: Planned 2017 Savings and Year-to-Date DSM Program Results (BNI)

Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. *“Planned 2017 Savings” refers to the planned annual mid-course adjusted savings.

Table 8 provides year-to-date tracked Q1 BNI net incremental energy savings, net

peak demand savings and expenditures for comparison with the annual mid-course

adjusted plan and budget.

Table 8: Year-to-Date BNI Results

Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. * “Annual Planned Amount” refers to the planned annual mid-course adjusted amount.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Per

cent

age

of

Pla

nned

Sav

ing

s

Energy Savings Peak Demand Savings

Year-to-dateResults

Planned2017Savings*

76.5 GWh 10 MW

13.4 GWh

2.9 MW

First-Year Unit Cost ($/kWh)

Quarter YTDAnnual Planned Amount*



YTD

Q1 13.4 13.4 76.5 2.9 2.9 10.0 2.8 2.8 16.1 0.21

Business, Non-profit and Institutional


Demand Savings (MW)

Expenditures($M)



Efficient Product Rebates (BNI)

In Q1, the BNI Efficient Product Rebates program, marketed as Business Energy

Rebates (BER), achieved 9.0 GWh of net incremental energy savings and 2.3 MW of

net peak demand savings on over 68, 000 products through its mail-in and instant

rebates services.

BER’s mail-in rebates option had strong results in Q1, primarily from three large

projects that were pre-approved in 2016 and which were completed slightly earlier

than anticipated in 2017. These three projects (two heat pump and one lighting)

accounted for 1.7 GWh in annual energy savings. As two of the projects were focused

on heating, the peak demand savings were also relatively high.

These increased energy savings (which came at a lower than average unit cost based

on the measures included) contributed to a 12 percent reduction in the year-to-date

program unit cost as compared to the planned mid-course adjusted unit cost. This

provided better than anticipated value to ratepayers.

During Q1, BER underwent a process improvement exercise and through Q2, will

work to implement the identified process improvements and further streamline the

program.

BER also introduced three new rebates for pool pumps, server virtualization and UPS

devices in Q1. These new rebates will be actively marketed in the coming months.

Table 9 presents a year-to-date breakdown of net incremental energy and net

demand savings, expenditures and participation by rate class for the EPR program.



Table 9: EPR Rate Class Results (BNI)

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. BNI Efficient Product Rebates includes the BER program component. *EPR (BNI) includes some residential customers as eligible participants (e.g., farms, community groups on charitable rate codes, rental apartment buildings, and condominium buildings).

Custom Incentives

In Q1, the Custom Incentives program achieved net incremental energy savings of 2.7

GWh and net peak demand savings of 0.3 MW. Based on these results and past

trends, ENS anticipates that Custom Incentives will meet its 2017 planned mid-course

adjusted savings of 30.5 GWh and 2.2 MW.

Custom Incentives consists of the following program components:

• Custom;

• Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS); and

• Strategic Energy Management (SEM).

The Q1 Custom Incentives unit cost is 31 percent higher than the planned mid-course

adjusted unit cost. This increase is largely a result of no energy savings being claimed

in Q1 for EMIS and SEM. Please see below for further information. ENS anticipates

that savings for these program components will be realized later in 2017, which will

reduce the Custom unit cost and mitigate this variance from target.

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4)* 0.7 8.1 0.1 105 5,013Small General (10) 0.6 6.5 0.1 90 4,475General Demand (11) 6.2 68.4 1.8 892 43,911Large General (12) 0.3 2.9 0.1 49 2,533Small Industrial (21) 0.6 6.1 0.1 89 5,686Medium Industrial (22) 0.2 1.7 0.0 24 1,723Large Industrial (23, 25) 0.5 5.7 0.1 76 5,121Municipal (24) 0.0 0.3 0.0 6 273Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0Total 9.0 99.7 2.3 1,331 68,736

BNI EfficientProduct Rebates

(2017 Actual - YTD)

First-Year

Energy Savings(GWh)




Units Rebated

(#)



Table 10 presents a year-to-date breakdown of net incremental energy and net peak

demand savings, expenditures and participation by rate class for the Custom

Incentives program.

Table 10: Custom Incentives Rate Class Results

Custom Incentives (2017 Actual -YTD)

First-Year


Lifetime Energy Savings (GWh)


Expenditures ($ thousand)

Projects (#)

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4)* 0.0 0.0 0.0 2 0 Small General (10) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 General Demand (11) 1.0 15.5 0.2 242 8 Large General (12) 0.2 2.8 0.0 21 3 Small Industrial (21) 0.3 4.6 0.0 77 2 Medium Industrial (22) 0.4 5.4 0.0 73 9 Large Industrial (23, 25) 0.9 13.0 0.1 280 9 Municipal (24) 0.0 0.0 0.0 6 1 Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Total 2.7 41.4 0.3 701 32

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. Custom Incentives includes the Custom, EMIS, and SEM program components. EMIS and SEM customers are each counted once, but their participation is ongoing throughout the year. *Custom Incentives includes some residential customers as eligible participants (e.g., farms, community groups on charitable rate codes, rental apartment buildings, and condominium buildings).

Custom

The Custom component of the Custom Incentives program achieved 2.7 GWh of net

incremental energy savings and 0.3 MW of net peak demand savings.

Custom is comprised of three separate services: Retrofit; Building Optimization; and

New Construction. These services saw 53, 14, and 3 projects initiated in Q1,

respectively. It is anticipated that many of these projects will contribute to savings in

the latter half of the year.

Q1 also saw efforts to improve the New Construction offering with the goal of

increasing participation in this service. This service will be updated later this year

with potential changes including standardizing the baseline energy model and

making the incentive structure more transparent.



Custom has five pilots planned for 2017. These pilots are currently in various stages

including planning and engaging potential participants and service providers. The

pilots include:

• Offering customers incentives to repair compressed air leaks identified

through a leakage audit;

• Providing participants with a compressed air flow meter to quickly identify

when their air leakage rate has increased;

• Providing a refrigeration optimization service to industrial and commercial

participants with the goal of identifying and implementing no-cost and low-

cost improvements to their systems, primarily through control changes;

• Providing a service incenting high-quality commissioning of new commercial

buildings; and

• Investigating the viability of building envelope air leakage repairs in larger

buildings through a test project with an Institutional participant. The initial

audit has been scheduled for Q2, with repairs anticipated to take place

throughout Q3.

EMIS

Two existing EMIS participants were re-engaged in Q1 to further grow their energy

savings through EMIS in 2017. The 2017 customer baselines are currently being

revised by ENS and the service provider, in order to determine how best to capture

incremental energy savings. As a result, EMIS does not have Q1 energy savings to

report. ENS anticipates that incremental savings generated during Q1 will be

reported in Q2, once the 2017 customer baselines are revised.

SEM

In early 2017, ENS completed an RFP process and selected a new SEM service

provider to begin operating in Q2. The new service provider will work with

participants to achieve energy savings through operational and process

improvements.



The SEM program component uses a cohort delivery model to promote collaboration

between industries. In past years, the cohort has consisted of five non-competing

industries who work through the program together through a combination of group

training and events, and one-on-one on-site engagements.

ENS has been working throughout Q1 to recruit participants for the 2017 cohort; one

participant has committed to participate with work ongoing to secure an additional

four. Since the 2017 cohort for SEM is currently in the recruitment phase, there are no

tracked savings to report for Q1.

Direct Installation

ENS’s Direct Installation program, marketed as Small Business Energy Solutions

(SBES), achieved 1.6 GWh in net incremental energy savings and 0.3 MW in net peak

demand savings in Q1, with energy efficient measures installed in 72 facilities. This

strong start to the year is attributed to the process enhancements made in 2016 and

the further refinement of changes made to the program in 2015.8 The result of these

efforts is an increased interest in the program as well as an increase in the number of

projects both generated through and referred from contractors who have been

involved in the SBES program, since it re-launched in 2015.

SBES saw a 12 percent higher unit cost in Q1 than the planned mid-course adjusted

unit cost due to the following factors:

• Upfront costs of SBES Auditors for their services before the energy savings

can be claimed by SBES for a project. These savings will be realized later in

the year, with an anticipated reduction in the unit cost as a result; and

• A higher employee cost, as more staff worked on the program in early 2017 to

meet the needs and timelines of customers.

Marketing efforts for SBES in Q1 included:

• Online, digital and print marketing;

8 Effective August 1, 2015, Business Energy Solutions (BES) transitioned to SBES.



• outreach at events and through partnerships;

• direct mail cross-marketing with the Appliance Retirement service; and

• updates to ENS’s Efficiency Trade Network (ETN), discussed further in the

Enabling Strategies section.

The SBES Affordable Multifamily Housing Pilot, which commenced in 2016, continued

through Q1. Seventeen audits have been completed in the pilot to-date. Each

participant received an upgrade report detailing the next steps required to continue

participating in the pilot. ENS plans to continue to follow up with existing

participants, audit new participants, as well as develop and distribute a survey for

participants regarding their experience in the pilot.

Table 11 provides a year-to-date breakdown of net incremental energy and net peak

demand savings, expenditures, and participation by rate class for the Direct

Installation (SBES) program.



Table 11: Direct Installation Rate Class Results

Direct Installation (SBES) (2017 Actual -YTD)

First-Year




Expenditures ($ thousand)

Projects (#)

Residential/Charitable (2,3,4) 0.1 1.9 0.0 84 12 Small General (10) 0.1 1.9 0.0 76 13 General Demand (11) 1.3 16.6 0.2 599 44 Large General (12) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Small Industrial (21) 0.1 0.7 0.0 26 2 Medium Industrial (22) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Large Industrial (23, 25) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Municipal (24) 0.0 0.1 0.0 3 1 Unmetered (999) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Total 1.6 21.2 0.3 787 72

Numbers may not sum due to rounding. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. Direct Installation includes the Small Business Energy Solutions program component.

Low Income Highlights

Within the Residential and BNI results highlighted above, ENS supported the

following work for low income Nova Scotians during Q1, as shown in Table 12:

• 1,076 housing units occupied by low income Nova Scotians received free

installation of low-cost, energy-efficient measures through the Efficient

Product Installation program component (formerly delivered through the

Residential Direct Installation and Rental Properties & Condos program

components);

• 72 appliances belonging to low income Nova Scotians were retired or

replaced;

• 11,493 efficient products were sold through the Residential and BNI EPR

programs, via the Residential Instant Savings program component and the BNI

Business Energy Rebates (Instant Rebates) program component; which were

installed in low income occupant spaces; and

• 8 apartment buildings received rebates through BNI programs, resulting in

energy savings for low income Nova Scotians who live in those buildings.



Table 12: Low Income Results

Low Income Participation - 2017 Actual (YTD) First-Year



Demand Savings (MW)

Expenditures ($ million)

Participation (#)

3.3 40.7 1.3 0.7

1,076 Efficient Product Installation housing units 72 Appliances retired or replaced1

11,493 Efficient products rebated2 8 Apartment buildings retrofitted3 0 Low income apartment buildings audited4

Includes estimates of low income participation in program components where income is not disclosed. Energy and demand savings are calculated at the generator and are net of free-ridership and spillover. Expenditure amounts are unaudited. 1 Includes appliance replacements delivered through the HomeWarming service. 2 Includes both Instant Savings and BER (Instant Rebates) program component participation. 3 Apartment building count is a total which includes some low income and some non-low income tenants; savings are estimated for only the low income portion of tenants. These buildings were rebated through the BER (Mail-In), Custom and SBES program components. 4 Audits were done through the Affordable Multifamily Housing Pilot.

OTHER ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

Enabling Strategies

Enabling Strategies continued to play an important role in enabling energy efficiency

programs and services to achieve savings in Q1. There are three categories of

Enabling Strategies:

• Education and Outreach;

• Development and Research; and

• Other Enabling Strategies.

Education and Outreach

ENS maintained a consistent media presence in Q1 with 24 media mentions, while

engagement and reach across all social media platforms remained strong. By the end

of the first quarter, ENS had 44,323 Facebook likes and 4,769 Twitter followers,

representing increases of 0.5 percent and 2.5 percent respectively, from Q4 of 2016.

Throughout Q1, ENS met with Nova Scotians at three home shows, four trade shows,

and participated in the Realtor AGM information session in Halifax, providing ENS

program information targeted to help realtors provide additional value with their



clients who are buying or selling a home. These home and trade shows kicked off the

building and renovation season in Nova Scotia and were well attended. ENS also

attended the Seniors Community Connect in Bedford in February, where ENS talked

with local seniors about ways to lower their power bills and make their homes more

comfortable.

Other Q1 Education and Outreach initiatives included the following:

• the Green Schools team reached a major milestone in Q1, with half of all

schools across Nova Scotia taking part in the initiative. This brings the total

school count to 222, with over 10,000 team members participating in green

teams, activities, classroom presentations and projects;

• after participating in engagements with community Sparks and Girl Guide

groups, Girl Guides Canada has invited ENS to present at their upcoming

national conference, with over 300 in attendance. This conference will be held

at the Westin Hotel in Halifax on November 25, 2017;

• ENS collaborated with the Ecology Action Centre to connect with non-profit

organizations to reduce their energy consumption, improve the comfort of

their locations and save on operating costs, among other benefits;

• the Efficiency Connection newsletter was distributed to 154 local elected

leaders, including MLAs and MPs in March, and achieved an open rate of 35

percent, exceeding the industry average of a 20 percent open rate. This

edition focused on, among other things, providing updates on the Instant

Savings program component to help their constituents save money on energy

efficiency products; and

• many programs saw program-specific marketing efforts. These are detailed

within the respective program sections in this report.

Development and Research

Q1 Development and Research activities focused largely on the following initiatives:

• tracking quality assurance and participant satisfaction on an ongoing basis, as

well as tracking other attitudinal metrics among the general population of

Nova Scotia households to help ENS respond to changing market conditions



(this research indicated that the influence ENS has on leading households to

reduce their energy consumption remains high at 28 percent);

• completion of quality assurance and participant satisfaction surveys for

applicable programs;

• conducting ongoing preliminary participant research to understand and

improve the experience at each stage of the participant journey, including

prospective participants, the sign-up process, the in-program or installation

period, pre-rebate, and post-installation and quality assurance;

• ongoing phased implementation of the Dynamic DSM System, by testing the

program tracking functionality of several programs built into the system test

environment;9

• ongoing implementation of an electronic Technical Reference Manual (eTRM)

as part of the Dynamic DSM System initiative by completing measure library

development for the second set of three program components, which are now

undergoing final testing before becoming active within the Dynamic DSM

System;10

• completion of the Small Business Energy Study, which was undertaken

pursuant to the Quantum Agreement;11 and

• completed the development a two-year market research plan (2017-2018), in

accordance with the Incentive Setting Methodology Implementation report.

9 The program components tested in Q1 were Business Energy Rebates (Instant Savings), Residential Instant Savings, and Green Heat, as well as case tracking functionality for Energy Solutions Advisors. 10 The three program components are Business Energy Rebates (Instant Savings), Residential Instant Savings, and Green Heat. Following final testing, ENS is targeting the development of measure libraries for the New Home Construction and Home Energy Assessment program components. 11 See M06733, NSUARB Decision, The Public Utilities Act and An Application for Approval of a Supply Agreement for electricity efficiency and conservation activities between EfficiencyOne and Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, the establishment of a final agreement between the parties, and approval of a 2016-2018 Demand Side Management Resource Plan (12 Aug 2015), 2015 NSUARB 204 at Appendix C, Appendix “A”, item 6.



Other Enabling Strategies

In the first quarter of 2016, Other Enabling Strategies initiatives related to:

• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing;

• Capacity Building;

• Working with Governments; and

• Regulatory Affairs.

PACE Financing

Although the PACE financing program is initially funded through the Province, and

therefore outside of DSM programs, it enables DSM work by providing Existing

Residential participants with an additional financing option.

In Q1, two new municipalities expressed interest in establishing PACE programs for

their residents. ENS provided these municipalities with contracts and will continue

these discussions throughout Q2. ENS continues to support existing PACE programs

and the applicants from those municipalities.

Capacity Building

In Q1, ENS awarded Quality Assurance Auditors and Site Inspectors contracts to

collect Delivery Agent performance information for ENS; corresponding Service

Provider training is planned for Q2. ENS Service Delivery staff are also collaborating

to better distribute Service Provider workloads across programs and geographic

regions to reduce travel costs and establish more consistency for contractors. In Q1,

ENS also continued monitoring and making an effort to reduce the number of times

participants are contacted to improve customer experience.

In addition to these Capacity Building initiatives, in January 2017, the Efficiency Trade

Network (ETN) launched an updated online directory. Associated improvements

include the following:

• improved navigation for members and customers;

• the addition of a keyword search function to locate members;

• an About the Network page that provides information on the ETN, including

the requirements for joining; and



• providing Helpful Guides that assist customers hiring contractors, comparing

quotes, and more.

In February, the ETN distributed its new bi-monthly newsletter (The Network News),

which was launched in December 2016. This newsletter achieved a 34 percent click-

to-open rate and an 18 percent click-through rate, both above the marketing industry

average, suggesting members are interested in the content provided.

ETN training was also a major focus in Q1, with ENS preparing for customer service

training and ENS program overview training, both of which will be mandatory for all

members starting in Q2. The ETN will also be sponsoring in-person training in Q2 on

how to sell energy efficiency effectively.

Working with Governments

In 2017, ENS continued to support the development of national energy efficiency

standards through the Canadian Standards Association’s (CSA’s) SCOPEER and

SRTF committees. In Q1, ENS and other funding partners met to finalize financial

contributions toward 2017-2018 standards development activities.

In addition, ENS and its evaluator have begun preliminary evaluation planning for the

2017 evaluation of Codes and Standards impacts in Nova Scotia.

Regulatory Affairs

In Q1, ENS’s regulatory initiatives focused largely on the development and filing of its

2016 Evaluation Reports, 2017 Annual Progress Report, a revised Incentive Level

Setting Methodology Study, and EfficiencyOne’s revised Affiliate Code of Conduct. In

accordance with the Incentive Setting Methodology Implementation report, ENS also

completed the development of a two-year market research plan (2017-2018) an

Incentive Process Manual, and a Consolidated Calculator.

Other Regulatory activities included:

• hosting DSM Advisory Group stakeholders to discuss ongoing matters;



• continuing work with the DSM Advisory Group to develop a scope of work

for the quantification of non-energy benefits for cost-effectiveness testing

purposes;

• completion of the Small Business Energy Study;

• addressing evaluation and verification recommendations (for an update on

2016 evaluation recommendations, please see Attachment 1); and

• supporting the development of the new Dynamic DSM System and

continuing to develop an electronic Technical Reference Manual.



CONCLUSION

ENS saw a productive first quarter with a variety of activities building momentum for

the year. With programs and services underway, Education and Outreach initiatives

focused on increasing awareness of, and participation in, ENS programs, including

SBES. Regulatory initiatives have focused on the development and filing of its 2017

Annual Progress Report and 2016 Evaluation Reports, while also addressing other

regulatory priorities and working with stakeholders. ENS continues to offer a diverse

range of programs and services that capture various market segments in a cost-

effective manner. A variety of ongoing and planned pilots aim to ensure ENS

continues to diversify its program offerings to respond to market needs and

continues to deliver effective electricity efficiency activities in Nova Scotia.

Update on Implementation of 2016 Evaluation Recommendations Attachment 1, Page 1 of 11

Attachment 1: 2016 Evaluation RecommendationsEfficiency Nova Scotia - 2017 Q1 Report


Recommendation Text Source Status CommentsExpected

Completion Date

Start using the new method for calculating interactive effects associated with lighting projects. In 2016, the Evaluator improved the methodology used by ENS for calculating interactive effects and applied it to Business Energy Rebates, Custom, and Small Business Energy Solutions. It is recommended that this new methodology be applied in 2017.

2016 OV-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is in the process of implementing it. The BER, SBES and Custom program components have begun integrating this change into their tracking systems.

2017

Continue to perform metering activity and keep improving its quality and effectiveness. This year, metering activity was focused on the small appliances retired since they were made eligible for the program component for the first time in 2016. However, the number of units metered was too small and the volume of data collected was not enough to support an impact evaluation. Another change made this year was the reintroduction of the “10 years old or older” eligibility criterion, after accepting only appliances of more than 15 years of age in 2015. Consequently, two types of appliances should be particularly targeted for metering in 2017, namely small appliances and full-size appliances with a more recent manufacture year class (in order to include appliances between 10 and 15 years of age). To help ensure that sufficient data is collected for the 2017 evaluation and improve metering data precision level, the Evaluator recommends planning the metering activity as early as possible in 2017. The Evaluator’s visit to the recycling facility and analysis of the raw metering data revealed that the metering process can be improved by: › Using the raw data from the current transformer instead of the single final value from the plug-in meter to calculate energy consumption values. This will allow validating the proper functioning of the metering equipment since consistency in amperage can be verified over time. › Logging refrigerators’ and freezers’ internal temperatures throughout the metering process instead of recording the internal temperatures only at the beginning and the end of the metering period. › Establishing a calibration procedure for the data-logger and the plug-in meter, to be followed before the metering starts.

2016 ARet-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and continues to work with its Evaluator to improve the appliance metering process. ENS plans to use the information from the current transformers as the primary source of energy consumption data for test appliances. Additionally, ENS is determining the procedures for recording the internal temperature of the test units and reviewing the calibration procedures to ensure the proper functioning of the testing equipment prior to use. ENS is also working with the Evaluator to determine appropriate sample sizes for metering in 2017.

2017

Continue monitoring key market indicators to adapt program component offerings when needed. Increasing adoption of LEDs by consumers and changes in retailer offerings were noticed during the 2016 evaluation. The high number of LEDs sold during the 2016 year (either within or without the campaign periods) and the declining retail price of LEDs (see Subsection 6.2) indicate market barriers have been reduced, especially for A-type LEDs. The Evaluator recommends continuing to monitor key market indicators such as the price of LED lamps and number sold, participating number of retailers, customer awareness and experience with LED lamps, as well as their penetration rate in Nova Scotia households. These data should be deeply analyzed in the next evaluation to determine if the significant changes observed in 2016 persist over time and to be able to recognize the point where program interventions, in their current form, will no longer be needed for LED lamps, i.e., the point where market transformation is achieved. Based on the state of the market, different exit strategies that can lead to continuous energy savings even after a program or incentive has ended could be investigated.

2016 Instant-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. ENS and its Evaluator will gather additional data where possible to examine trends within and without the Instant Savings campaigns.

2017





Completion Date

Closely monitor the evolution of the refrigerator and clothes washer markets. Effective 28 June 2017, a new Canadian energy efficiency regulation identical to the current American regulation comes into force. This regulation will impact the energy efficiency level of refrigerators and clothes washers. It might also significantly affect the baseline energy consumption and thus, the unitary savings value of appliances sold through Instant Savings. It could also impact product offerings, for instance by increasing the number of models that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines and Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier III standards. The Evaluator recommends that this situation be closely monitored and analyzed in 2017 to confirm whether it is still relevant and cost-effective to offer incentives for refrigerators and clothes washers and, if so, select the right energy performance criteria to ensure a certain level of savings and impact in the market.

2016 Instant-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is investigating how the upcoming change to federal regulations might change the appliance market in Nova Scotia. ENS will use this information to help determine if the current eligibility criteria should be updated.

2017

Assign staff to answer EA questions about HEA. To clear some of the confusion created by the changes HEA has undergone since April 2015, EAs asked for a single ENS contact to answer their questions and inquiries, especially about eligibility requirements. EAs also mentioned the need for additional training for themselves. Facilitating transmission of information to EAs could also have a positive impact on participants who mentioned unclear HEA requirements as a source of dissatisfaction with HEA in 2016.

2016 HEA-R1 In Progress ENS agrees that it is important for Energy Advisors (EAs) to have direct access to answers for any HEA inquiries and is considering how best to meet this need. ENS is also investigating how to appropriately address EAs' request for training.

2017

Use the unitary savings established as part of the 2016 HEA evaluation to determine the savings generated by the DHW measures. During this evaluation, the Evaluator assessed how best to determine the savings associated with DHW measures recently introduced in HEA, and established unitary savings for each type of DHW system. Unitary savings values were favoured over the simulation results to provide more accuracy and consistency with the savings claimed among the different residential program components. Only a small number of DHW measures (two) were installed by HEA participants in 2016, but since this number is expected to increase, the Evaluator recommends integrating the unitary savings values as the method to claim DHW measure savings in the HEA tracking system.

2016 HEA-R2 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and has integrated the unitary savings values established through the evaluation into the HEA tracking system to accurately capture DHW savings.

Complete

Maintain follow-ups with EAs and continue to conduct project reviews to assess the progression of simulation file quality. As part of the 10 HEA project reviews (on site visits and HOT200 simulation reviews), the Evaluator noted that EAs generally performed well in recording household energy component data, though there were some differences in the quality of the reviewed simulation files. The Evaluator noted opportunities to increase the accuracy of HOT2000 simulations and recommends sharing with EAs those aspects that ENS would like to improve. ENS already conducts follow-ups with EAs and the Evaluator recommends continuing to do so. Project reviews should also be conducted on a regular basis to continue monitoring the quality of simulations and monitor progress. Finally, if the HOT2000 software should ever be modified, or if considerable improvement is made to the quality of simulation files, the overestimation ratio should be reviewed with a new billing analysis to increase accuracy of the savings calculations.

2016 HEA-R3 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and will continue to conduct follow-ups with EAs and perform project reviews in 2017. If the HOT2000 software is modified or significant improvement is made to the quality of the simulation files, ENS will consider conducting a new billing analysis.

Complete





Completion Date

Monitor market progress to adapt the program component offer to the evolving market. According to the retailers of biomass measures and heat pumps interviewed as part the 2016 evaluation, the market has changed a lot in the last few years. Changes were noticed in consumer awareness and interest, variety of equipment offered, levels of product quality, and price. Moreover, some of the products rebated were mentioned as very popular among the portion of consumers who are not very price sensitive. The Evaluator recommends conducting general population surveys or market actor consultations to better understand how the market is evolving and to what extent the market has transformed. Depending on the level of market transformation achieved and the barriers still found in the market, the program component offer (eligible products, rebate amounts) and delivery should be adapted. If necessary, eligibility criteria should be revised to ensure products offered through Green Heat are the best in terms of energy efficiency and not currently widely purchased on the market. These data collection activities could also be used to start monitoring market indicators of new products as soon as they are introduced in the market, which would enable both better understanding of program influence at the market level and further study of the market transformation.

2016 GH-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will update the equipment eligibility requirements of GH measures to ensure only the highest efficiency systems are incentivized. ENS and the Evaluator have discussed the possibility of including an assessment of some market indicators as part of the 2017 Green Heat evaluation.

2018

Increase program component advertising to households and collaborate with retailers. Evaluation results showed fairly high free-ridership levels for products rebated through Green Heat, especially for heat pumps and MSHPs. The Evaluator recommends focusing marketing efforts on (1) better communicating with households, and (2) collaborating with retailers. Advertising the program component more effectively to households could contribute to lowering the free-ridership level by reaching out to homeowners who have not yet decided to replace or supplement their equipment with heat pump, solar or biomass units. Indeed, many surveyed participants conceded that they had already made the decision to install a high-efficiency system before learning about Green Heat. For homeowners who have already decided to change their heating system, retailers could encourage them to choose the most efficient product by offering the necessary information to customers. However, both lack of point-of-sale material and retailer training result in retailers poorly understanding Green Heat. The Evaluator suggests increasing program component knowledge among retailers by providing them with an impetus to more actively promote higher efficiency models, and offering point of sale promotional material. ENS could request retailer inputs about which equipment to promote to achieve energy savings that would not occur otherwise.

2016 GH-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is developing a Green Heat marketing and outreach strategy to promote the program in 2017. This includes developing marketing materials, conducting marketing campaigns, collaborating with Efficiency Trade Network (ETN) members and communicating directly with key stakeholders.

2017

Consider real baseline conditions in the savings calculation. The review of the tracking sheet and the results of site visits revealed that many participants already owned either an efficient heating system or a secondary heating system that meets a large portion of their heating needs, thereby reducing the energy savings potential of their home. The billing analysis rendered evidence to support this impact, as the pre installation electrical heating load was estimated at only 11,413 kWh (compared to a previous estimate of 14,600 kWh for a completely electrically-heated home). It is therefore recommended that the efficiency of existing electrical systems and the presence of secondary systems be considered when estimating savings, rather than using unitary savings values that are based on a heating load entirely supplied by an electrical resistance heating system.

2016 GH-R3 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and has implemented it.

Complete





Completion Date

Perform the MSHP billing analysis again in 2017. The billing analysis conducted as part of the 2016 evaluation resulted in a major change made to the average savings value for MSHPs. Although this analysis yielded conclusive results, the Evaluator believes that it should be conducted again in 2017 for two reasons: (1) to perform the analysis with a larger sample of participants who will provide sufficient billing data; and (2) to take into consideration any major changes that may occur in 2017 as the Green Heat management team makes adjustments to this relatively new measure.

2016 GH-R4 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. A billing analysis of MSHPs will be included in the 2017 program evaluation scope of work.

2018

Continue researching more accurate sources to estimate the runtime hours of central heating systems. The Evaluator found new sources from available literature that estimated equivalent full load hours for central heat pumps based on energy modelling. This represents an improvement over the previous estimate which was based on a standard value. However, the Evaluator considers that accuracy could be further improved by accounting for actual conditions under which heating systems operate in ENS participants’ homes. For instance, the billing analysis established average energy savings for MSHPs at 4,990 kWh, despite an average installed capacity of 21,509 Btu/h. This suggests that MSHPs generally do not run for as many annual hours as originally estimated, notably because of the presence of other heating systems. Conducting a similar billing analysis or a metering study for central heat pumps would therefore allow factoring in parameters that are representative of equipment installed under Green Heat, such as control strategies and interactions with other heating systems.

2016 GH-R5 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. A billing analysis of central heat pumps will be included in the 2017 program evaluation scope of work.

2018

Limit the number of smart power controllers installed to two per household. The tracking report indicated that 589 RDI participants each received three or more smart power controllers. The Evaluator believes that the third and the fourth controller installed in one house are unlikely to generate the same amount of savings per unit as a unique controller installed per house, since their respective audiovisual systems may be used only occasionally. Also, of the eight participants visited who had received more than one controller, only one still had all the controllers installed, resulting in an average installation rate of 30 percent for this group of participants. Although these results have been obtained from quite a small sample, the Evaluator still believes that having more than two smart power controllers installed might not be an effective way to maximize RDI’s impacts.

2016 RDI-R1 In Progress ENS agrees to investigate the appropriate number of smart power controllers to be installed per household. Beginning in Q2, Quality Assurance site inspectors will collect information on installation rates and Audio Visual equipment usage with smart power strips. This information will inform ENS's decision on setting a maximum number of smart power strips per household.

2017

Conduct more on-site visits with participants who received smart power controllers. Based on the information collected from the 44 site visits conducted with participants who had smart power controllers installed in 2016, a fairly low installation rate was observed. These 44 visits conducted did not provide enough data needed for establishing an installation rate within an acceptable margin of error. Since a site visit is considered a much more reliable means to validate the installation of smart power controllers than a telephone survey, it is recommended that additional visits should be conducted in early 2017 so as to determine with confidence whether or not the installation rates have decreased in comparison with the previous years.

2016 RDI-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. Homes with smart power strips will be given additional weighting during Q2-Q4 quality assurance site visit selection. The highest weighting will be given to participants that received more than two smart power bars.

2017





Completion Date

Start measuring spillover in 2017. Spillover has never been measured for RP&C because it has been assumed that RP&C replaces all the inefficient products that could be upgraded by tenants. However, as the lighting market evolves, the Evaluator has observed some spillover in RDI, another direct-install program component. For instance, compact fluorescent lamps are being replaced by LED lamps, and mini-split heat pumps are being installed. Similarly, although most RP&C participants are renters and are presumably less likely to invest in upgrading their homes, they are nonetheless still likely to start installing some of these measures without receiving any incentive encouraging them to do so. Therefore, the Evaluator recommends starting to measure spillover for RP&C in 2017.

2016 RP&C-R1 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation. RP&C and RDI merged and rebranded as Efficient Product Installation (EPI) on January 1, 2017; ENS is tracking spillover for all participants in this program component using the 2016 evaluation values.

Complete

Continue conducting project reviews to assess the evolution of the quality of simulation files. As part of the 10 NHC project reviews (on-site visits and HOT200 simulation reviews), the Evaluator noted that EAs generally performed well in recording household energy component data, though there were some differences in quality of the simulation files reviewed. The Evaluator is aware that training was provided to EAs in 2016 and therefore recommends conducting project reviews on a regular basis to keep monitoring simulation quality and monitor progress over time. The Evaluator noted some recurrent mistakes in the HOT2000 simulations (see Subsection 5.1) and will follow up on these aspects during the 2017 evaluation. In the meantime, the Evaluator recommends sharing with EAs those aspects of the project review process that ENS would like to improve.

2016 NHC-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is currently discussing the errors identified in the evaluation report with the Evaluator, Service Organizations, and NRCan.

2017

Ensure that all required documentation is included in participant files. Though EAs generally performed well in recording household energy component data, the Evaluator could not validate some of the information entered in the simulation files because some required documentation was missing for eight of the 10 projects reviewed, such as specification sheets and drawings. According to NRCan, all documentation required to perform a quality assessment should be provided. Specification sheets should at least be provided for heat pumps and heat exchangers. All participant files should include sufficient details about the building envelope either using a detailed final design evaluation report, or the necessary section views and component drawings to indicate all material layers, insulation levels and thickness contained in wall and ceiling components.

2016 NHC-R2 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and has implemented it. ENS will continue to monitor EA documentation via quarterly QA activities.

Complete

Continue improving the BER Mail-in internal review procedure for savings calculations. In 2016, the Evaluator applied large adjustment ratios to five measure categories in BER Mail-in. The lighting measure category required the most adjustments for a number of reasons: (1) hours of use (HOUs) were not representative of facility schedule; (2) ballast factors were used inconsistently; and (3) baseline wattages were sometimes inadequate. The Evaluator encourages ENS to implement measures to specifically address these issues, such as modifying the application form to gather more detailed information on HOUs, adding a verification step specific to the inclusion of the ballast consumption for baseline wattages and using the efficient fixture specification sheet to establish the baseline for new construction applications.

2016 BER-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will continue to modify the procedures for savings calculations. Forms are being updated to address inconsistencies with HOU calculations, and new procedures have been established for baseline wattages in new construction projects.

2017





Completion Date

Implement complete measurement and verification (M&V) procedures for Mail-in projects generating large energy savings. The Evaluator has observed that large projects are increasingly part of BER’s Mail-in project portfolio. For simpler and smaller projects, relying on documentation provided by the participant and performing simple validations may be adequate to establish savings with a fairly good level of accuracy and reliability. For large projects, the Evaluator recommends that a thorough and systematic M&V protocol be implemented, which should include on-site validation, verification of technical documentation and, where warranted, measurement of key parameters. ENS is currently developing such M&V procedures for Retrofit projects. The same procedures should be applied to BER projects generating 300,000 kWh and more to limit the corrections needed to the tracked energy savings.

2016 BER-R2 In Progress ENS partially agrees with this recommendation and is in the process of establishing a new BER M&V procedure and set of criteria for site visit selection. ENS is working with the Evaluator to better clarify expectations and determine what measurement and verification procedures are feasible within ENS's available resources.

2017

Conduct deeper market analysis to adapt the BER Instant Rebates offer when needed. Strong market evolution was noticed for 2016. The high number of LEDs sold during the 2016 year, their declining retail price and the increase of free-ridership levels for these products indicate that market barriers have been reduced. Moreover, LED linear fixtures are more often included in the plans and specifications of large new construction projects. The Evaluator therefore recommends conducting deeper market analysis in the next evaluation to determine if the significant changes observed in 2016 persist over time and to recognize the point at which some product categories should be removed from the Instant Rebates service due to a high level of market transformation. To obtain insights and data from the BNI market, which is a challenging task, the Evaluator recommends multiplying data sources as much as possible. For example, interviews with contractors might be performed to confirm the input obtained from interviews with distributors. Sales data of non-efficient lighting products, if available, might also allow comparing the sales level of products rebated through Instant Rebates.

2016 BER-R3 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. The Evaluator is considering additional evaluation activities this year in order to further analyze the market.

2018

Update the values used in the BER Mail-in and Instant Rebates calculations to match the 2016 evaluation results. The Evaluator updated a number of values as part of the 2016 evaluation. The methodology for calculating interactive effects was revised, as were the operating hours of heat pumps (equivalent full load hours). It is recommended that ENS update these values in their tracking system for 2017.

2016 BER-R4 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and has implemented it. All of the new assumptions and baseline values have been updated in the CIRx tool, and have been applied to all 2017 projects to date.

Complete

Develop tools to help service providers better promote and deliver Building Optimization. Service providers interviewed noted that participants tend to misunderstand the scale and scope of the Building Optimization participation process and the outcomes to be expected. Therefore, the Evaluator recommends developing marketing materials, such as case studies illustrating the typical activities and outcomes associated with Building Optimization, to assist the service providers in recruiting potential participants. It is expected that having more organizations better informed about Building Optimization’s process and benefits will help drive participation levels higher.

2016 Custom-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is in the process of developing marketing materials, such as case studies, for the Building Optimization service.

2017





Completion Date

Identify the root causes of New Construction’s low participation. Although the ongoing slowdown in Nova Scotia’s construction industry is beyond ENS’s control, the Evaluator still considers it necessary to properly examine and analyze the causes leading to New Construction’s low participation level. Since only two participants were interviewed for this evaluation, the Evaluator cannot provide insightful conclusions about the barriers encountered by participants. Interviewing a larger group of participants and, even more importantly, non-participants could provide useful information and insights on how to make New Construction more attractive to more potential participants. These interviews could be conducted as part of the 2017 evaluation.

2016 Custom-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is planning significant changes to the NC service to address these concerns.

2017

Start using the new method for calculating interactive effects associated with Retrofit lighting projects. In 2016, the Evaluator improved the methodology used by ENS for calculating interactive effects in Retrofit and applied it to all commercial program components. It is recommended that this new methodology be applied in 2017.

2016 Custom-R3 Complete ENS agrees with this recommendation and has implemented it.

Complete

Ensure that a systematic review of Retrofit’s peak demand savings calculations is performed. This year, the adjustment ratio established for Retrofit projects’ peak demand savings was high mainly because the consultants failed to account for the peak demand savings in their calculations, or ENS took too much caution in tracking savings for those projects that were not simple load reductions, such as lighting replacements. In order to better estimate peak demand savings, the Evaluator suggests that ENS require (1) that the consultants include peak demand savings calculations as a mandatory element in their submission packages, and (2) that all projects without peak demand savings be validated through an internal review process.

2016 Custom-R4 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will undertake a systematic review of peak demand savings calculations. ENS will ensure that both internal staff and external consultants are knowledgeable of demand savings and peak demand savings. ENS will introduce requirements if necessary.

2017

Implement a standardized process for validating M&V results and savings for Retrofit projects. Two main types of errors were detected and corrected as part of this evaluation: (1) incorrect assumptions for the operating conditions; and (2) necessary variables omitted from the savings calculations, such as correction factors for tri-phased current and interactive effects. A more significant error was found for one project where the equipment installed was not the same as that assumed in the savings calculations. To improve savings estimation accuracy, ENS should improve its M&V procedures by developing M&V summaries and standardized tools, which would help ensure that all key variables are systematically validated at the time of project close-out.

2016 Custom-R5 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is in the process of creating an M&V policy and supporting resources to help ensure consistent M&V across projects.

2017

Include an estimate of peak demand savings in the M&V plans for Building Optimization projects. By reviewing a sample of three projects, the Evaluator found that peak demand savings should have been tracked for two of them. ENS should require that all M&V plans include either an estimate of peak demand savings or a summary of the energy conservation measures with the potential to reduce peak demand.

2016 Custom-R6 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. ENS will educate service providers on demand savings and peak demand savings before introducing new requirements.

2017

Continue to support EMIS and identify potential new participants. Participants value the support they receive from their service provider and ENS. Overall, they are highly satisfied with EMIS although for different reasons. Some appreciated the energy savings, while others appreciated the additional information the system provided. Additionally, EMIS 2016 demonstrated potential for additional savings beyond the first year of participation. For these reasons, the Evaluator concludes that EMIS is successful and should be continued and expanded.

2016 EMIS-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with its Business Development Managers to recruit new participants.

2017





Completion Date

Continue encouraging EMIS participants to enroll in SEM and strengthen integration between the two program components. There is a natural connection between EMIS and SEM. SEM aims to change the culture of an organization in terms of how the organization views and manages energy. EMIS provides infrastructure and technical support to identify operational and process savings. Many organizations participating in one program component would benefit from the services offered by the other. It is also believed that participation in both EMIS and SEM would increase participant internal energy management capabilities and commitment, thereby helping achieve deeper and more sustainable savings.

2016 EMIS-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with EMIS and SEM participants to encourage and facilitate transitions between the two program components where appropriate. Throughout 2017, ENS will continue to identify ways to further ease transitions between EMIS and SEM.

2017

Track incremental savings rather than cumulative savings. For continuing participants in 2016, the Evaluator modified the methodology used to establish savings so that they correspond to incremental first-year savings. Indeed, savings were tracked with respect to a baseline period that spanned approximately one year prior to the beginning of EMIS activities. When participants continued taking part in EMIS for a second year, their tracked savings were the result of the sum of actions taken since the beginning of their participation and not only the additional actions taken since 2015. This was considered standard industry practice. Since ENS established all of its program component savings targets as incremental savings, the evaluated savings were modified to correspond to that definition. Energy savings that persist year over year only as a result of on-going support or intervention from ENS could also be classified as incremental savings and are not captured under the methodology used in this evaluation because no data on the rate at which savings would decrease in the absence of on-going support is available in the technical literature. As new research is conducted on the impact evaluation of programs similar to EMIS, this methodology might be refined to capture all incremental savings.

2016 EMIS-R3 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with the service provider to establish processes for tracking incremental savings. ENS and its Evaluator will further investigate methods for capturing incremental energy savings from EMIS in 2017.

2017

Investigate ways of using energy management information systems to their full potential. The Evaluator noted that some participants who had been part of the 2015 impact evaluation had not implemented new energy conservation measures in 2016. While sustaining the savings achieved in previous years is a success in itself, the Evaluator believes that this indicates a potential for even greater savings with minimal additional investment by ENS. Since energy management information systems offer such a wealth of information to participants, the program component should ensure that they are used for continuous improvement and generate as much savings as possible. The program component could include additional support to participants or some form of performance incentive for service providers to identify potential new measures after easy, low-cost measures have been implemented.

2016 EMIS-R4 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with several EMIS participants to expand the use of their EMIS and/or gain further savings through SEM. ENS will continue to identify opportunities to support participants in achieving incremental energy savings.

2017

Track major changes to facility operations and equipment and adjust energy baseline consumption as required. The Evaluator identified one project for which the compressed air system had been replaced as part of a Custom Retrofit project in 2016. This modified the baseline energy consumption of the plant and resulted in double-counting savings. The Evaluator made this adjustment, but did not have sufficient data to update the baseline regression; new data should be gathered to update this baseline energy regression in 2017. To avoid this in the future, systematic reviews of facility operational and equipment changes should be implemented by ENS to ensure the accuracy of reported savings.

2016 EMIS-R5 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will take measures to better track projects completed through other ENS program offerings, ensure they are being accurately identified, and account for savings accordingly.

2017

Continue to support SEM and identify potential new participants. Participants value the support they receive from their service provider and ENS. Also, SEM participants generated high energy savings in their first year of participation. The success of SEM could be expanded if the program component were able to identify more potential participants.

2016 SEM-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with its Business Development Managers to recruit new SEM participants.

2017





Completion Date

Continue encouraging SEM participants to enroll in EMIS and strengthen integration between the two program components. There is a natural connection between EMIS and SEM. SEM aims to change the culture of an organization in terms of how they view and manage energy. EMIS provides infrastructure and technical support to identify operational and process savings. Many organizations participating in one program component would benefit from the services offered by the other. It is also believed that participation in both EMIS and SEM would increase participant internal energy management capabilities and commitment, thereby helping achieve deeper and more sustainable savings.

2016 SEM-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is working with EMIS and SEM participants to encourage and facilitate transitions between the two program components where appropriate. Throughout 2017, ENS will continue to identify ways to further ease transitions between EMIS and SEM.

2017

Consider extending the SEM cycle to engage participants for a longer period of time. The service provider suggested having longer periods of participation in SEM, and participant feedback suggests that having participants engage with the service provider for a longer period of time may yield additional savings and help further institutionalize energy management in the culture of participating firms. This has been common in other SEM programs in North America.

2016 SEM-R3 In Progress ENS will consider whether a possible extension of the SEM cycle is appropriate at this time.

2017

Track incremental savings rather than cumulative savings. For continuing participants in 2016, the Evaluator modified the methodology used to establish savings so that they correspond to incremental first-year savings. Indeed, savings were tracked with respect to a baseline period that spanned approximately one year prior to the beginning of SEM activities. When participants continued taking part in SEM for a second year, their tracked savings were the result of the sum of actions taken since the beginning of their participation and not only the additional actions taken since 2015. This was considered standard industry practice. Since ENS established all of its program component savings targets as incremental savings, the evaluated savings were modified to correspond to that definition. Energy savings that persist year over year only as a result of on-going support or intervention from ENS could also be classified as incremental savings and are not captured under the methodology used in this evaluation because no data on the rate at which savings would decrease in the absence of on-going support is available in the technical literature. As new research is conducted on the impact evaluation of programs similar to SEM, this methodology might be refined to capture all incremental savings.

2016 SEM-R4 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. ENS and its Evaluator will further investigate methods for capturing incremental energy savings from SEM in 2017.

2017

Improve the identification of event types in the Event Log. The Event Log is a valuable tool for conducting the SEM impact evaluation and it generally contains more information this year than in 2015. However, the Evaluator found that the event categories suggested in the document were not specific enough; for instance, there should be different categories for elements impacting the baseline and the energy efficiency measures implemented, rather than categorizing them all as operational changes.

2016 SEM-R5 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. A new event log will be developed with explicit examples to better support participants in logging their energy savings initiatives. Program staff and the service provider will support participants in maintaining better records of actions taken.

2017

Identify energy efficiency measures installed under ENS instant rebate programs. During the project review, the Evaluator identified several projects for which products were most likely bought with a point-of-sale rebate, but could not find evidence to confirm this. To avoid counting savings twice, it is suggested that SEM participants be asked to provide invoices of energy efficient products bought under ENS instant rebate programs.

2016 SEM-R6 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will better track SEM participant involvement in other ENS programs to ensure savings are not double counted.

2017





Completion Date

Apply the adjustments made to the baseline energy regression in the 2016 evaluation to continuing participants. Two of the three continuing projects from 2015 had their baseline energy regression adjusted under the 2015 impact evaluation. These adjustments were still valid for the 2016 evaluation, but were not carried out by the service provider. Therefore, the Evaluator recommends that the project-specific adjustments made in this evaluation be applied to continuing projects going forward.

2016 SEM-R7 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. Any baseline adjustments recommended through evaluation will be applied by the service provider and carried over into subsequent years of reporting for those participants.

2017

Assist participants throughout the participation process, from enrollment to completion, to minimize the number of participants who do not complete projects and encourage equipment installation. Participants receiving no assistance from contractors throughout the participation process face considerable barriers to implementing projects, including making decisions without technical assistance and spending time seeking bids. Without the assistance of contractors, participants do not make their project a priority, thus leading to potential delays in or failure to complete projects. Any actions ENS can take to connect contractors with participants and remind them that the program component offer is still available should yield more implemented projects. Some examples illustrating how other program administrators have taken meaningful actions to support participants include: randomly assigning contractors to participants; adding general contractors to their trade networks to ensure participants have access to contractors that can manage entire projects; and having the audit report specify a list of contractors who can address each identified measure.

2016 SBES-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. The SBES team is reviewing the Opportunities Report (given to participants after an audit) for potential improvements to participant experience.

2017

Engage, support, and provide resources to help contractors promote SBES among potential participants. The highest implementation rates have been so far achieved by contractor-assisted DIY projects. All efforts made by ENS to develop and strengthen its relationships with contractors can potentially stimulate more occurrences of contractor-assisted DIY projects and enable completing more projects. Some examples illustrating how other program administrators have taken meaningful actions to support contractors include: providing preprinted marketing materials; offering cooperative marketing support; offering sales training to contractors; offering a program-specific training session once a year; and conducting outreach to contractors about the program using mailings, phone calls, or by hosting contractor breakfasts throughout the province.

2016 SBES-R2 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation. To date, ENS has supported contractors with sales training. ENS is also considering new marketing material for contractors later this year.

2017

Consider working with auditors to make the process of developing cost estimates less burdensome for auditors, contractors, and distributors. Currently, the audit path requires auditors to obtain new cost estimates for each project. Auditors call distributors and contractors who then voluntarily provide bids for the identified measures of a project. These contractors and distributors are unlikely to obtain the project simply because the auditor contacted them, partly because the auditor cannot recommend these contractors to participants. To address this issue, ENS could meet with auditors to discuss alternative methods for estimating costs.

2016 SBES-R3 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and will share a list of costs per measure with SBEAs, based on information from BER. ENS will update this list and communicate with SBEAs as needed.

2017





Completion Date

Improve the application forms and the internal review procedure to ensure the accuracy of savings calculations for DIY projects. The Evaluator found that the variables used in the savings calculation algorithm were often not representative of the actual equipment and operating conditions observed on site. The hours of use for lighting measures were the variables that required an adjustment most often, and those adjustments were generally significant. The Evaluator believes that requesting more information in the application forms would at least partially address this issue; operation schedules should be provided for each measure in each area of the facility. The Evaluator found multiple cases where the hours of use entered in the tracking sheet were the same for all the measures, while the real hours of use varied throughout the facility. Special attention should also be paid to validating the quantities of fixtures and lamps installed; currently, most invoices do not include sufficient information needed for validating the quantities claimed for each project.

2016 SBES-R4 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is currently reviewing SBES documents. The SBES worksheets will be revised to better capture actual runtime hours and room locations.

2017

Identify those SBEAs who are qualified to conduct audits at industrial facilities. The on-site visits conducted during energy audits showed that SBEAs possess varying skill levels. While all SBEAs conducted the audit in a professional manner, one SBEA mentioned that he did not have the technical background needed for evaluating energy-saving opportunities at an industrial facility. Industrial facilities require specific technical knowledge. Therefore, ENS may want to identify those SBEAs who are qualified for making industrial facility assessments and assign them to industrial-sector participants.

2016 SBES-R5 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation which will be implemented with the start of new contracts with SBEAs in late 2017.

2017

Focus the 2017 evaluation on the same standards as evaluated in 2016. While the new standards set forth in Amendment 13 will come into force at the end of June 2017, their impact may be limited until January 2018, since retailers need a few months to sell their existing stocks. The Evaluator recommends keeping the 2017 evaluation’s focus on evaluating the impact of the same standards evaluated in 2016, while starting to collaborate with NRCan and the industry associations to collect market data on the new products affected by Amendment 13. Past evaluations showed that collecting historical market data from regulatory organizations and industry associations is an indispensable source of information needed for the effective assessment of the provincial market size following the implementation of new standards. The next impact evaluation should start identifying how market data regarding the new targeted products can be obtained; contacts should be made with major stakeholders to collect data about the market evolution that took place over the last five to 10 years.

2016 CS-R1 In Progress ENS agrees with this recommendation and is currently investigating, with its Evaluator, the value of conducting additional evaluation activities on a limited number of Amendment 13 products in 2017.

2018

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