2013 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards finalists compete for Canada's top prize in home energy efficiency solutions

Scotiabank and Green Living Enterprises announce nine award finalists for 2013

TORONTO, May 9, 2013 /CNW/ - Scotiabank, in partnership with Green Living Enterprises, today announced the nine finalists of the 2013 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards, a Canada-wide awards program recognizing businesses, innovators and students for excellence in the development of home energy efficiency products, services and solutions. The winners of the $75,000 in award incentives will be announced at a gala ceremony on June 6, 2013 at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

"The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards program provides a unique opportunity to build awareness of the environmental and economic savings that come with having a more energy efficient home," says Kaz Flinn, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Scotiabank. "This year's Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards finalists demonstrated exciting solutions that show how each of us can easily bring energy solutions into our own homes and save money."

An independent judging panel selected the finalists from over 78 comprehensive entries, a 28% increase from the last awards. Judges include: Valerie Becaert, Executive Director of the FQRNT/FQRSC; Thomas Mueller, Founding Director of the Canada Green Building Council; Yves Perrier, Architect and Sustainable Building consultant; Ed Whittingham, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute; and Tyler Hamilton, Editor-in-Chief and associate publisher of Corporate Knights. To learn more about the judges, visit http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/awards.

"More Canadian homeowners are looking for energy saving solutions in response to rising costs," says Laurie Simmonds, CEO and President, Green Living Enterprises. "Scotiabank is taking a leadership role by recognizing businesses, innovators and students implementing and developing energy-saving ideas that are also end-user friendly, and hold the potential for mass adoption."

The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards program is unique in its focus on public awareness. As part of the award criteria, all awards recipients must demonstrate capacity to generate public interest and excitement in energy efficiency through submitted products or solutions.

The finalists are:

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Business Leadership Award ($50,000)

• Ecobee (Toronto, ON) for Home IQ - A Wi-Fi thermostat, online web portal and smart phone app that integrate directly with Smart Meters and time-of-use electricity rates to help people understand, manage and reduce their energy consumption without sacrificing comfort.
  
  
• Enerpro Systems Corp./Olympic International Agencies (North Vancouver, BC) for SMARTFORME - An efficient and cost effective building energy system that is integrated with advanced metering technology to measure and manage resource consumption to serve the needs of the development industry, municipal authorities and the real estate consumer. 
  
  
• Lanefab Design/Build (Vancouver, BC) for Net-Positive Urban Infill, laneway houses - Integrated design and construction of small scale fully independent homes with energy efficiency, design quality, and scalable-sustainability, while adding density to neighbourhoods and preserving existing community homes.

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Innovators Award ($15,000)

• CircuitMeter Inc. (Ajax, ON) for CircuitMeter Residential Sub-metering Technology - A simple and affordable sub-metering system that identifies energy waste, operational anomalies, and off-spec behaviour of equipment, to drive down energy costs by 27-34% in non metered multi-residential buildings, and save provincial terawatt-hours annually.
  
  
• Quinzee (Toronto, ON) - A web and mobile application that is gamifying and socializing energy use and enabling Ontarians with smart meters to be smarter homeowners.  Utilizing consumer social benchmarking as a motivator for influencing efficient energy choices and behaviours consumers can easily track and compare energy use free of charge.
  
  
• Toronto Atmospheric Fund (Toronto, ON) for Energy Saving Performance Agreement - A customized non-debt financing product for building owners to demonstrate the viability of earning both financial and greenhouse gas reduction return on energy efficiency investments.

Category: Scotiabank EcoLiving Student Leadership Award ($10,000)

• Benjamin Gillies (Winnipeg, MB) for FAACE Apartment Complex - FAACE (Functional, Affordable, Attractive, Compact and Efficient) Apartment Complex is a prototype for a new apartment complex that uses the best in modern design and furnishing innovation to provide more compact and efficient apartments that offer functionality, attractiveness and the ability to reduce each occupant's carbon footprint in a number of significant ways.
  
  
• McGill University (Montreal, QC) for The McGill Energy Project - A collaboration of students, faculty, and staff that combined research, innovative technologies and team work to create targeted savings in residence buildings, laboratories, and in heat and water networks to reduce McGill's 20 million dollar annual energy bill.
  
  
• Universite de Montreal, Faculte de l'amenagement, Ecole de design industriel (Montreal, QC) for Boltzmann Residential Energy Storage - A thermodynamic water heater designed to be operated in synergy with a split system air conditioner that provides an ingenious energy recovery system that allows for a significant reduction and levelling of electric consumption.

Along with the award incentives, winners of the 2013 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards will receive an inspiring sculpture created by award-winning goldsmith, crystal artist and designer Mark Raynes Roberts.

About the Scotiabank EcoLiving Program
The Scotiabank EcoLiving Program launched in June 2010. The website, www.scotiabank.com/ecoliving, is a unique online consumer resource that provides home greening options together with government rebate and financial savings information all in one place - providing an easy-to-use resource for Canadians to learn about, plan and compare green home improvement options. The website includes project planning tools and a financial calculator to allow visitors to compare products and rebates, plan and finance their projects and see the savings that can result from each energy efficient renovation. The EcoLiving magazine is available twice yearly in Scotiabank branches and the Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards recognize innovation in residential energy efficiency.

About Green Living Enterprises - Green Living Enterprises is Canada's leading cause-marketing agency focused on social and environmental program development.  Our team is led by award-winning industry experts in the fields of brand and program development, custom content, advertising, marketing and communications, and event management.  Green Living Enterprises also includes Greenlivingonline.com and The Green Living Show, Canada's largest consumer show, dedicated to easy and simple solutions for leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

For information on the awards, finalists, judging panel, and the gala awards ceremony visit Scotiabank's EcoLiving website http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/awards.

The first EcoLiving Awards were presented in 2011 to winners from across Canada. Learn more about their solutions and progress at http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/articles/where-are-they-now.

SOURCE: Scotiabank

Media inquiries:

Annette Borger, Green Living Enterprises, 416-988-7086, [email protected]

Nadine Jahangir, Scotiabank Media Communications, 416-933-2927, [email protected].