In 2007 the University Health Network (UHN), with the assistance of IndEco, received funding to pilot a comprehensive energy management and engagement program in their three downtown Toronto hospitals – Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto General Hospital (TGH), and Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) – over three years. This energy management and engagement program is a tool for engaging all members of the hospital community to work together to make behavioural, process, and equipment changes that will increase awareness and reduce consumption of energy and production of greenhouse gases.

This program, called TLC – Thermostats, Lights and Controls – consists of four major components: social marketing, employee engagement, retro-commissioning (RCx) of equipment, and operator training. This program also involves the development of a comprehensive and integrated energy plan and the implementation of energy audits and retrofits. A schematic representation of the TLC program is shown in the diagram below.

The TLC program was designed and implemented at TWH by a project team, which consists of staff from the UHN Energy and Environment Department (UHN) and external consultants (IndEco Strategic Consulting, an energy audit company, and the University of Toronto Sustainability Office). The project team also worked in collaboration with the TWH energy team, which is comprised of senior facilities staff from the hospital, and UHN to design and implement the program. IndEco, in addition to a leadership role in the social marketing and employee engagement components, provided overall project coordination and management, which encompassed the management of the TLC program including the activities of the project team and energy team.

In the first year of the pilot (June 2007 – June 2008) the TLC program was introduced at TWH and the four major components were designed and implemented. The first year of this pilot culminated in the development of a comprehensive and integrated energy management plan for Toronto Western Hospital.

When deviations from the hospital’s energy baseline were measured to obtain initial program results in late March 2008, a 4.6% reduction in electricity consumption, a 4.4% reduction in natural gas consumption and a 5,642.5 tonne reduction in CO2equivalents were observed.

In years two and three of the pilot (June 2008 – June 2010) it is intended that a comprehensive audit, and retrofits will be conducted at TWH and that the four major program components (social marketing, employee engagement, operator and senior management training, and retro-commissioning) will continue to be enhanced and implemented at the hospital. At the same time elements of the program, tested at TWH, will be rolled out to the other UHN hospitals (Toronto General and Princess Margaret). In the long term, 2011 and beyond, the TLC program will continue to be improved and implemented at all three sites.

Related information

Energy plans for UHN