Renewable Energy & Efficient Civic Buildings
Renewable Energy and Efficient Civic Buildings
The City of Saskatoon is striving to reduce the emissions created by our civic buildings by reducing the amount of energy we use and switching to renewable and low-emissions energy sources where possible.
Saskatoon’s energy comes from natural gas, electricity, and propane. Most electricity is supplied by SaskPower, which uses a mix of fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and renewables (wind and solar). In 2023/2024, 65% of SaskPower's generating capacity was from gas and coal, 34% from hydro, wind, and solar, and 1% from other sources. Natural gas is supplied by SaskPower.
Civic buildings generate emissions resulting from the use of energy – for heating, cooling and powering equipment, appliances and fixtures. Civic Buildings made up 20% of the City’s 2014 emissions inventory. In 2023, Civic buildings emitted 36,800 tonnes CO2e.
Targets and Plans
- Low Emissions Community Plan (LEC Plan): Aims for the City to be powered by renewable and/or low-emissions energy by 2050, with 12 key actions outlined.
- Alternative Currents: A Renewable and Low-emissions Energy Implementation Plan: outlines a plan for switching to renewable energy over the next 50 years, in alignment with the Low Emissions Community Plan.
- Provincial Goals: Saskatchewan aims to reduce GHG emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions in the long term.
- High Performance Civic Building Policy: Requires new civic buildings to achieve LEED Silver certification, airtightness and net-zero energy ready to meet GHG reduction targets. Access to water and accessibility is also included in the policy.
City-led Efficient Building Initiatives
- Civic Centre Solar Heating: Solar energy is used to heat the pool at Lawson Civic Centre, covering 25% of annual pool heating needs.
- Facility Improvement Program:
- Energy Performance Contract (EPC): Since 2017 renovations to improve energy performance and operational efficiencies in civic facilities have been completed in 35 buildings.
- Key Upgrades: LED lighting retrofits, HVAC upgrades, building automation controls, and building recommissioning.
- Heat Pumps
- Research Junction Analyzing the Feasibility of Heat Pumps: This project will analyze the feasibility of heat pumps for heating and cooling buildings in Saskatoon by comparing performance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, life cycle cost, and payback period compared with conventional natural gas systems.
- Deep Energy Retrofits
- *Deep Retrofit Feasibility for Municipal Buildings: In 2022, ReCover initiated a series of studies to understand the requirements for implementing panelized deep retrofits for six municipally owned buildings across Canada.
*These studies were made possible through the contributions of our partners: Efficiency Canada, Efficiency ONE, Habit Studio, RSI Projects, McNeil Consulting, Passive Buildings Canada, and QUEST Canada. We are also grateful for the support of The Atmospheric Fund, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, City of Burlington, Municipality of Colchester, Halifax Regional Municipality, Town of New Glasgow, City of Oakville, and City of Saskatoon. The City of Saskatoon case study can be found here: https://www.recoverinitiative.ca/resources/case-studies.
Indicators & Tracking
Review the latest Climate Action Progress Report data: 2023 Climate Action Progress Report.
And, the Environmental Dashboard tracks:
Visit the Environmental Dashboard