INTRODUCTION

To help Prince Edward Island businesses overcome the disadvantage of higher than average energy costs, the provincial government took a number of steps during the 1980s and 1990s to help Island manufacturers, processors, and commercial operations become more energy efficient.  One of these measures, undertaken in 1996 and 1997, was the $mart EnergyUser newsletter.  The government’s Energy and Minerals Section commissioned engineer/writer Copthorne Macdonald to write 37 articles on a wide range of energy-use topics, and every few weeks sent one of these articles by overnight “broadcast” fax to numerous Island businesses.  Because most of the information in those articles is as relevant today as it was then, all 37 newsletters have been converted to HTML format and put on this web site.

Although most of the articles can be read with any browser, some — particularly those that contain equations — are best viewed at 800 x 600 or higher screen resolution using an Explorer 5 or higher browser on a computer equipped with Times New Roman, Arial, Arial Narrow, and Wingdings fonts.

Article

Vol.

No.

ENERGY AUDITS AND MONITORING

 

 

Conducting Energy Audits

2

21

No-Cost/Low-Cost Savings Opportunities Checklist

2

22

Whole-Plant Energy Use Monitoring

3

1

Energy Accounting: A Couple of Computer Tools that Make it Easier

2

1

BOILERS, PROCESS HEAT, AND WATER

 

 

Boiler Combustion Efficiency: What the Numbers Mean to You

2

11

Energy Recovery from Hot Liquids

2

12

Thermal Efficiency Opportunities

2

14

Cost-Effective Water Usage

2

13

ELECTRICAL DEMAND, P.F., QUALITY, AND RATES

 

 

Understanding Electric Rate Structure and Billing

2

20

Saving Dollars through Electrical Demand Control

3

13

Power Factor Correction Brings Big Savings Fast

2

4

Implementing Power Factor Correction

2

5

Dealing With Power Quality Problems

2

6

Do You Have Electrical Questions that Call for Special Metering?

2

2

HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING

 

 

HVAC and Energy: The Basics

3

14

No-Cost/Low-Cost HVAC Savings Opportunities

3

15

MOTORS

 

 

Calculating What it Costs to Run a Motor

2

17

Easy Comparison of Motor Cost/Payback Options

2

19

Measuring Motor Performance

3

4

Adjustable Speed Motor Drive Units

3

2

When Does Motor “Soft Starting” Make Sense?

3

3

What to Do When a Motor Burns Out

2

3

The Pros and Cons of Having a Motor Rewound

2

18

LIGHTING

 

 

Lighting Efficiency: A Comparison by Lighting Type

2

15

High-Efficiency Fluorescent Lighting

3

10

Ballasts: Picking the Best

2

16

Saving Dollars Through Lighting Control

3

11

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting

3

12

Lighting and Colour Rendition

3

9

REFRIGERATION

 

 

How Refrigeration Works

3

5

No-Cost/Low-Cost Refrigeration Savings Opportunities

3

7

Sick Refrigeration Systems

2

7

Refrigeration Controls

2

10

Using Refrigeration Superheat

2

9

Refrigeration Compressor Care

3

6

Setting Up a Refrigeration System Monitoring Plan

3

8

Refrigerant Regulations

2

8

 

The above articles are made available through this Web site for personal use only.  Copyright is held by the Government of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and requests for permission to reproduce these materials or use them for any other purpose should be addressed to Mike Proud of the Energy and Minerals Section, P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. 
Phone: 902-368-5010.