BOYLE — Village of Boyle councillors were presented with a unique opportunity to capitalize on artificial intelligence (AI) for savings in energy, equipment maintenance, and cuts to its carbon footprint through a niche program geared towards small communities.
Peter Hart of Sherwood Park-based Sustainergy, a company focused on sustainable energy, made the trip north to the village for the Dec. 18 council meeting to pitch the invitation-only data collection SmartSence program to Boyle officials.
“The way that it works is actually really simple,” said Hart, holding up a small, black plastic clip for councillors to see. “We go inside the (electrical) panel, we clip these around different circuits, and it detects and tells us everything that’s going on.”
According to Hart, the SmartSence sensors use AI to monitor energy usage, gathering data used to identify when normal energy consumption is disrupted. He used the Boyle rink as an example of one facility that could benefit from the program.
“Just by measuring all this, we’ll be able to find every single energy deficiency in the building, we’ll see any piece of equipment we’re able to retrofit, any grant that’s available; essentially, any way to bring down operating costs,” said Hart.
“Secondly, you’ll be able to detect equipment health. You’ll be able to see the changes and the patterns to that equipment, you’ll be able to forecast possible issues that are coming on.”
The SmartSence program package also comes with a customized roadmap to Net Zero. Each municipality enrolled in the program receives a tailored plan to cut energy usage in half over 10 years, and up to 80 to 100 per cent reductions over 20 years.
But Hart said the program is less about being “green” and more about the depth of insight 24/7 computer monitoring can reveal about a facility and how that insight can be used to save municipalities in both the short and long run.
“We’re not really doing anything other than saying ‘Hey, here’s exactly what’s happening in your building,’ which nobody tends to offer, which seems like the very obvious first step,” said Hart.”
“Regardless of what kind of solutions we can suggest or what kind of promises in savings we can deliver, the biggest thing that we’ve seen in all the facilities is just providing full clarity.”
To retrofit the rink with the SmartSence sensors, create a 3D model of the facility, train staff to read the live data dashboard, and create a customized energy savings plan, Hart estimated the cost at around $70,000.
But, through federal and provincial grant coverage and potential in-kind donations, Hart said the village would more likely face a bill of $7,000 or less.
If councillors opt in to the program, Sustainergy would apply to grants from Alberta Innovates and Federation of Canadian Municipalities to cover 85 per cent or more of project costs. And if the grant applications aren’t successful, Boyle won’t be out any money.
Hart said the SmartSence program hit the market about a year and a half ago, and has been installed in around 100 facilities and municipalities from Alberta to Ontario, with a focus on smaller communities.
“They don’t have quite the same resources as larger municipalities would have, so they need tools to be able to function much more efficiently and much better with the limited resources.”
“Everything needs energy efficiency, and if they can get down to net zero with the carbon credits, that’s huge for us,” said Coun. Barb Smith.
CAO Warren Griffen said the rink would be the best candidate for the program, noting the village’s recent investments into energy efficient retrofits, including the new rink liner, insulation, and the REALice system.
“I don’t know what else we can do to the old girl other than perhaps monitor the energy consumption to say, ‘Hey, can we run a little more efficient?’”
Councillors unanimously opted to accept the presentation as information.
