In a bold move towards sustainability, Sonepar in Canada has recruited Arcadis, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering solutions, to conduct ASHRAE* Level I Energy Audits across its four largest locations. These audits encompass a comprehensive examination of energy usage, systems, and potential areas for improvement in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and building envelope efficiency. The locations include Lumen’s Central Distribution Centre (CDC) Laval, QC, Texcan’s CDC in Edmonton, AB, Sonepar Ontario Region’s CDC in Brampton, ON and Gescan's largest Branch in Edmonton, AB.
Sonepar’s motivation behind this initiative is to achieve 100% energy efficiency across its buildings by the year 2030. The recent energy audits have provided promising insights into the current situation, with overall positive results across all audited locations.
Rich Rutishauser, Energy Engineer at Arcadis, provided sight into their initial findings, stating, "many of the low-hanging fruit measures have already been accomplished. Reducing the GHGs* at the Sonepar locations will be challenging as they are generally operating efficiently." Rutishauser's remarks underscore the importance of continuous improvement in energy management practices.
Sonepar’s Canadian businesses are now channeling these insights into an actionable plan aimed at enhancing energy conservation projects while maintaining high operational efficiency. This strategic approach aligns with the company's commitment to sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship.
As Sonepar continues its journey towards 100% Energy Efficient buildings by 2030, collaboration with industry leaders like Arcadis remains pivotal.
ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Level 1 audit is the initial step in energy auditing. It involves a basic analysis of a building's energy use and serves as a preliminary assessment to identify potential energy-saving opportunities. Typically, Level 1 audits focus on low-cost and no-cost measures that can improve energy efficiency, such as lighting upgrades, HVAC system adjustments, and behavioral changes. The audit includes a review of utility bills, a walkthrough inspection of the building, and an assessment of energy consumption patterns. The findings from the Level 1 audit provide a foundation for further, more detailed energy audits and help building owners and managers understand their energy usage and potential areas for improvement.
GHGs - Greenhouse gases are atmospheric gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases, that trap heat energy from the sun, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect. This natural phenomenon is essential for maintaining Earth's temperature within a range suitable for life. However, human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy, industrial processes, deforestation, and agriculture, have significantly increased the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect and leading to global warming and climate change. These changes are associated with various impacts, including rising temperatures, altered weather patterns, sea level rise, and ecosystem disruptions, necessitating urgent efforts to reduce GHG emissions and mitigate climate change.
GJ/m²/year - stands for gigajoules per square meter per year. It is a unit of measurement used to quantify energy flux or energy intensity over an area during a year.
About Sonepar
Sonepar is an independent family-owned company standing as the world leader in B-to-B distribution of electrical equipment, solutions, and services. In 2023, Sonepar achieved sales of €33.3 billion. Present in 40 countries with a dense network of brands, the Group is leading an ambitious transformation to make its customers’ lives easier providing them an omnichannel experience and sustainable solutions in the building, industry, and energy markets. Sonepar’s 45 000 associates are committed to accelerating the world’s electrification and driven by a shared Purpose: Powering Progress for Future Generations. www.sonepar.com
About Sonepar in Canada
Member of the Sonepar Group, we are Canada’s largest privately held B-to-B electrical products distributor. In Canada, we are represented in eight provinces by Texcan, Gescan, Dixon Electric, MGM, Electric, Sesco, Aztec, Electrozad and Lumen. In Canada, Sonepar has over 1800 employees working out of over 100 offices between our distinctive brands.
ABOUT ARCADIS
Arcadis is the world’s leading company delivering data-driven sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. We are more than 36,000 architects, data analysts, designers, engineers, project planners, water management and sustainability experts, all driven by our passion for improving quality of life. As part of our commitment to accelerating a planet positive future, we work with our clients to make sustainable project choices, combining digital and human innovation, and embracing future-focused skills across the environment, energy and water, buildings, transport, and infrastructure sectors. We operate in over 30 countries, and in 2023 reported €5.0 billion in gross revenues.