Western University
IN-1: Innovation 1

In order to prevent electricity shortages in the province, a reserve of approximately 1,400 megawatts (MW) is always on stand-by. While the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) over-estimates Ontario’s need for power, they must make up for the added cost they are paying for the surplus electricity each day. The Global Adjustment (GA) tax was created by the IESO to recover those costs, applying extra fees to large energy users on days in which energy is in the greatest demand, also known as, peak days. This equates to more than $8 billion across Ontario. At Western, of the $16 million energy costs, roughly $7 million of that total goes to the university's contribution to the GA tax. Typically, peak days are directly associated with outdoor air temperature. The warmer weather increases the demand for the chilled water needed to condition the air on main campus. This system is by far Western’s greatest consumer of electricity throughout the summer. By dialing back energy use during the peak days through intermittent reductions in the running of chiller water, Western can reduce its demand on the grid and lower its percentage of consumption compared to other provincial users. By reducing demand, the university not only pays less in energy during that time, but also has a smaller portion of the GA tax. The peak days where energy is strategically conserved at Western through reduced air conditioning and intermittent fan usage are called "Global Adjustment Days".

In 2012 and 2013, Western saved approximately two million dollars collectively by taking action during the days IESO identified as being peak. This year, Facilities Management’s solution for mitigating the impact of the GA will be much the same. The Division will reduce the air conditioning in as many buildings as possible during IESO peak hours.