Broader Public Sector
Energy Reporting and Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) Plan
2024 – 2029

1. Background

1.1 Regulatory Update

Ontario's legislative landscape for energy conservation and demand management (CDM) in the broader public sector (BPS) has evolved significantly over the past decade. These developments reflect the province's commitment to promoting energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing accountability in public sector energy use.

The foundation for CDM planning was laid with the introduction of Ontario Regulation 397/11 under the Green Energy Act, 2009. This regulation came into effect in 2012 and required public sector agencies including: municipalities, school boards, hospitals, and post-secondary institutions to report annually on their energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Additionally, agencies were mandated to develop and publish five-year CDM plans to outline their past and proposed energy-saving initiatives.

In 2018, the Ontario government repealed the Green Energy Act through the Green Energy Repeal Act, 2018 (Bill 34). However, rather than abandoning CDM principles, the government transitioned the regulatory framework under the Electricity Act, 1998, and reintroduced the requirements in the form of Ontario Regulation 507/18. This regulation largely mirrored its predecessor but was updated to align with the new legislative context. It reaffirmed the requirement for public agencies to submit annual energy consumption and GHG summaries and maintain five-year CDM plans.

Most recently, on February 23, 2023, Ontario Regulation 507/18 was revoked and replaced by Ontario Regulation 25/23 under the Electricity Act, 1998. This regulation maintains the core requirements of its predecessors while enhancing clarity and administrative efficiency.

These changes underscore a continued emphasis on energy accountability and conservation across Ontario's public institutions. Therefore, St. Joseph's Health Care London remains committed to fulfilling all regulatory obligations under O. Reg. 25/23 and aligning its energy management practices with provincial objectives.

1.2 About St. Joseph's Health Care London

St. Joseph's Health Care London is a leading academic and community teaching health care organization serving Southwestern Ontario. With a legacy rooted in compassion, innovation, and excellence, St. Joseph's provides a broad continuum of services that includes acute and ambulatory medicine, rehabilitation, complex continuing care, geriatric services, long-term care, forensic and mental health services, and academic primary care. Operating across six sites, St. Joseph's integrates patient care with clinical teaching and research, fostering innovation while addressing the diverse and evolving health care needs of the region.

1.3 Introduction

St. Joseph's Health Care London, in alignment with provincial regulations and its own values of respect, excellence, and compassion, has developed this updated Energy Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) Plan to guide strategic energy use and emissions reductions from 2024 through 2029. This CDM Plan fulfills the requirements set out in Ontario Regulation 25/23 under the Electricity Act, 1998, which mandates that broader public sector (BPS) organizations prepare, publish, and maintain updated energy conservation strategies every five years. The plan builds on the foundation of previous CDM efforts developed under O. Reg. 397/11 and O. Reg. 507/18, reflecting a consistent and evolving commitment to energy efficiency, cost savings, and sustainable healthcare operations.

By analyzing past performance, forecasting future reductions, and identifying actionable measures, the CDM Plan serves as both a regulatory compliance tool and a strategic roadmap. It enables Facilities Management and other stakeholders to prioritize energy-efficient design, retrofit aging infrastructure, adopt advanced technologies, and foster organizational accountability. These efforts support St. Joseph's broader mission of delivering exceptional care while minimizing environmental impact.

1.4 Energy Management Vision

Our vision is to incorporate energy efficiency at every level: from the design and construction of new spaces to the ongoing retrofit of existing infrastructure with more efficient systems and technologies. This vision supports not only the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and utility costs, but also the creation of healing environments that are thermally comfortable, well-lit, and conducive to health and wellness.

Energy management at St. Joseph's is led by the Facilities Management team in collaboration with London Health Sciences Centre, Honeywell, and other key partners. This multidisciplinary team includes executives, project managers, consultants, analysts, and engineers who are dedicated to embedding sustainability into daily operations. Therefore, St. Joseph's continues to lead by example, making environmentally conscious decisions today that contribute to a healthier, more resilient world tomorrow.

2. Site-Wide Historical Analysis

2.1 Past Site-Wide Energy Intensity

Energy Utilization Index (EUI) measures how much energy a facility uses for every square meter of space. Looking at energy use this way makes it easier to compare buildings of different sizes. For our analysis, we compared our facility against the industry average for hospitals and post-secondary campuses, as reported by Statistics Canada's Commercial and Institutional Energy Use. The benchmark for these facilities is 2.54 GJ/m².

*Purchased steam and on-site produced steam is provided to the St. Joseph's Hospital site and passed through to Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care and is not separately metered, affecting EUI numbers.

2.2 Past Site-Wide GHG Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reported in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2e). The amount of emissions a facility produces depends on the energy source used. For example, hydroelectricity produces far fewer emissions than coal-fired electricity, and light fuel oil has a lower footprint compared to heavy oil. It is important to note that in 2022/2023, emission factors increased, which resulted in higher reported GHG emissions for those years.

2.3 Past CDM Plan Measures

In July 2019, St. Joseph's Healthcare developed goals and objectives for decreasing the facilities annual energy consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. The following activities, completed between 2019 and 2023, are associated with managing overall energy consumption, lowering annual operating costs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Conservation Demand Management Goals

St. Joseph's Health Care London is committed to advancing energy stewardship as a core part of its operations. The following goals will guide our work over the next five years and ensure that energy management is integrated into decision-making across the organization.

3.1 Integrate Energy Management into Organizational Strategy

We will take a strategic approach to energy management by aligning conservation and demand reduction efforts with our broader organizational priorities. This includes embedding energy considerations into planning, budgeting, and daily operations so that energy efficiency becomes a standard practice at every level of the organization. By connecting energy management to patient care, operational resilience, and financial stewardship, we will achieve lasting reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, energy management will not be seen as a separate initiative but as an essential part of how we operate.

3.2 Support Mission-Critical and Long-Term Organizational Goal

Energy management will directly support St. Joseph's mission to provide compassionate care and act as a responsible steward of the environment. Reducing energy waste improves the healing environment for patients, strengthens the workplace for staff, and helps us reinvest savings into care delivery. Over the long term, we will pursue improvements in building design, equipment efficiency, and procurement practices that deliver measurable reductions in utility costs and emissions. These changes will be sustained by leadership commitment, staff engagement, and strong partnerships with external organizations and funding programs. Therefore, our conservation and demand management efforts will deliver environmental, financial, and community benefits well into the future.

3.3 Achieve Solid Economic Returns from Energy Investments

Energy management initiatives will be evaluated not only for their environmental benefits but also for their financial value. We will use life cycle costing and consistent financial analysis to ensure that projects provide strong returns on investment while lowering the total cost of facility ownership. By approaching energy improvements as sound financial investments, we can demonstrate value to the organization and ensure that savings are redirected toward patient care. Therefore, every conservation effort will be assessed for both sustainability and long-term financial benefit.

3.4 Strengthening Collaboration and Leverage External Resources

We will continue to work with government agencies, local utilities, and external partners to maximize the impact of our energy management initiatives. This includes securing incentive funding, applying best practices from healthcare and energy networks, and adopting innovative technologies that enhance efficiency. Staff across all sites will also be engaged to play a role in identifying and reducing energy waste in day-to-day operations. Therefore, collaboration both within the organization and with external partners will be a key driver of our success.

4. Site Analysis

St. Joseph's Health Care London is one of Ontario's most complex health care organizations, delivering an integrated mix of services supported by a large and diverse health care community. The organization is sustained by 4,814 employees, 1,279 credentialed professionals, 824 volunteers, and nearly 2,200 learners and fellows annually. It provides care through 963 inpatient beds, more than 1,300 inpatient surgeries, over 23,000 day/short-stay surgeries, 848,000 outpatient and outreach visits, and more than 51,000 urgent care visits each year.

Research and innovation are central to St. Joseph's, with the Lawson Health Research Institute leading more than 830 active projects supported by over 2,300 researchers, staff, and fellows. Together, these efforts strengthen patient care, expand medical knowledge, and extend St. Joseph's impact across the province and beyond.

4.1 St. Joseph's Hospital

St. Joseph's Hospital continues to expand its role in day and short-stay surgery, ambulatory treatment and management of complex medical and chronic disease, illness prevention, research and education. Interdisciplinary teams provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care through our specialty programs, including urology, diabetes, rheumatology, pain management, osteoporosis, hand and upper limb, eye care, lung disease, ears, nose and throat, head and neck surgery, gastroenterology, breast care and more. A full range of diagnostic services, including leading-edge medical imaging, theragnostic, and laboratory services, support the programs.

Proposed Conservation Measures

4.2 Parkwood Institute – Main Building

The programs located at Parkwood Institute Main Building (including the Arthur J. Hobbins Building and the Western Counties Wing) offer complex care, rehabilitation, palliative care, specialized geriatric services and veterans care for inpatients and outpatients, and long-term care for veterans.

4.3 Parkwood Institute – Finch Family Mental Health Care Building

Parkwood Institute Finch Family Mental Health Care Building offers specialized bed-based and community-based mental health care services for individuals with serious mental illness. Interdisciplinary teams provide assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services and strengthen community partnerships to help people regain independence in the place of their choice.

4.4 Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care

Located in Elgin County, our Forensic Mental Health Care Program is devoted to caring for people with a mental illness who have also come into contact with the criminal justice system. A recovery philosophy of care promotes each individual's journey of recovery towards community re-integration.

4.5 Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care

Mount Hope provides short and long-term care for residents who are 18 years of age or older and who may be cognitively impaired, physically and/or mentally challenged, and/or suffer from chronic illness. A significant number of younger residents enjoy programs tailored to their needs.

4.6 St. Joseph's Family Medical and Dental Centre

The St. Joseph's Family Medical and Dental Centre provides comprehensive health care with a patient-centered focus. The center partners with the Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry to support a quality undergraduate and post-graduate education program, advancing medical knowledge through clinical research.

5. Closing Comments

We extend our sincere gratitude to all contributors of St. Joseph's Health Care London's Energy Reporting and Conservation & Demand Management (CDM) Plan. As a primary source of care, we recognize our vital role within the local community. The foundation of this relationship lies in our commitment to utilizing our facilities efficiently and effectively, which enhances our capacity to deliver the highest quality healthcare services while embracing environmental stewardship across all operational aspects.

On behalf of the Facilities Management team at St. Joseph's Health Care London, we formally endorse this Energy Reporting and Conservation & Demand Management Plan.

6. Appendix

6.1 List of Figures & Tables

6.1.1 List of Tables

6.1.2 List of Figures