Efficiency for Organizations

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society has been working since 2000 to make it easier for non-profit organizations to reduce their utility expenditures through energy conservation with the Efficiency for Organizations Program. Demands on non-profits always outpace funding. An investment in energy conservation will have a positive financial impact on your organization for many years. To date, assessments have been conducted for almost 100 buildings.

Who can participate?

Non-profit organizations that operate in the Saskatoon and Regina regions. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more!

What does the program involve?

Eligible organizations receive free-of-charge:

  • Level 1 energy audit, providing an overview of your building’s energy savings potential.
  • Written report outlining the findings of the preliminary energy assessment.
  • Where reasonable, estimates of costs and savings associated with changes are provided.
  • Presentation of the results of the assessment by the SES Energy Conservation Engineer and/or the SES Building Efficiency Coordinator.
  • Utility monitoring following retrofits to confirm the effectiveness of the retrofits.

What is required?

  • Sign a release giving SES access to your energy consumption data. (Note that this information will be used only for assessing energy conservation options and the effectiveness of retrofits.)
  • Be available to accompany the auditor during the assessment (two to three hours).
  • Allow SES to monitor the energy savings achieved by the energy conservation retrofits.

What are the benefits?

  • Non-profit organizations can get control of their utility costs (electricity, gas, and water) and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing their energy consumption.
  • Increased energy efficiency has a positive financial impact for many years.
  • The Association of Energy Engineers notes that the following energy savings can be achieved:
    • No cost actions 5 to 15%
    • Low-cost/ short payback 15 to 30%
    • Higher cost/ longer payback 30 to 50%.
  • Natural Resources Canada estimates that deep retrofits achieve energy savings from 50 to 70% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 100%.

How can we receive a retrofit loan?

Affinity Credit Union can provide loans to eligible non-profit organizations, tailoring your payments to fit your savings, where practical. These loans can cover expenses such as materials and labour to complete the retrofit, and project management or technical assistance expenses.

Thank you to Affinity Credit Union for funding the participation of Saskatoon and Regina non-profits in the Efficiency for Organizations program!