Ontario's Energy Squeeze and What You Can Do

If you are considering expanding your business in the near future, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. Based on the government of Ontario and the IESO's forecasts, the province will face energy supply and infrastructure problems by 2025. In fact we are already seeing some symptoms of this today.

Electrical distribution infrastructure will be pushed to its limits as electricity demand grows.

The Issue

In some areas it is becoming increasingly difficult to negotiate and receive electrical service upgrades from the utility and as the province and country work towards their goal of net-zero carbon emissions, the strain on the grid will keep increasing. This will lead to those same problems becoming more widespread across the province. There are already plans underway for more transmission lines in Southwest, East, and Northeast Ontario to address some supply and stability issues, however to keep up with increasing energy demands more needs to be done.

Some Solutions

The province and energy suppliers have tackled the problem of Ontario's growing energy appetite in various ways.

• Centralized infrastructure: key distribution infrastructure such as transmission lines are planned

• Reduced demand: incentives such as the Energy Performance Program and the proposed Ultra-Low Overnight Price Plan encourage consumers to be more efficient, and shift their consumption to off-peak hours

• Distributed energy resources: the OEB is standardizing and improving requirements for on-site microgeneration and energy storage to increase feasibility and safety

New Opportunities

By combining the Ultra-Low Overnight energy price plan, sufficient energy storage, and extensive planning, building owners can maximize their savings. With an off peak price that is many times cheaper than the peak, energy storage has opened a new set of opportunities with exceptional payback periods.

How We Can Help

Mann Energy Solutions (MES) is a professional consulting engineering company that specializes in electrical and energy solutions, including engineering and implementation. Our experienced engineers can help work with your building’s unique profile to identify spare electrical capacity, energy saving opportunities, and design the best system for you. We have extensive experience with energy retrofits that make the most of your existing electrical capacity by optimizing building processes and equipment such as lighting, mechanical systems, electrical loads, and building envelope to reduce your energy use.

Our firm has hundreds of installed electrical and power projects and we have been in business since 1983. Some of our services include:

• Free site walk-through by our experienced engineers and technicians to provide an initial site assessment

• Engineering feasibility studies

• Incentive study and application

• Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for a turnkey project

• Coordination with utilities for distribution system upgrades, service size expansions, and microgeneration through solar PV, energy storage and cogeneration

For more information or a complimentary assessment contact us through the main site, info@mannenergysolutions.com, or call (905) 597-5855.