Abstract

Integrated Energy Mapping for Ontario Communities
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Juan Carlos Molina

The design and location of buildings affects the energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a community. The Integrated Energy Mapping for Ontario Communities initiative used ArcGIS to integrate utility and built-form data in order to identify trends between a building's attributes (e.g. building type, building size) and its annual energy consumption. Spatial analyst and spatial statistic tools were used for analyzing energy consumption patterns in the cities of Guelph, Hamilton, Barrie, and London in Ontario. Baseline and alternative energy demand scenarios were modelled and results showed that building retrofits, higher building code standards, and alternative energy generation technologies can reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions in many areas across the city. Maps produced for the analysis provided a communication platform for municipalities and utilities to prioritize energy conservation efforts and to visualize the impact of the present building code standards and land use developments policies.