On January 6, 2025, the Department of National Defence (DND) awarded a $29.5 million Energy Performance Contract (EPC) for the St-Jean Garrison, located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec.
This EPC will primarily see upgrades at the General Jean-Victor Allard building, known as the "Mega" complex, the central heating plant, and approximately 20 other, smaller buildings on the Garrison. Once implemented, these upgrades are expected to reduce the Garrison's energy costs by approximately 27%, amounting to an estimated $870,000 saved on energy costs annually. Energy retrofits will also lower the Garrison's current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by almost 5,500 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Under this EPC, improvements at the Garrison will include:
- modernizing the central heating plant with partial electrification and heat recovery;
- modernizing garrison lighting;
- optimizing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls;
- enhancing airflow and ventilation;
- reducing hot water consumption; and
- improving building envelope performance.
The contract for this work was awarded to Johnson Controls International of Saint-Laurent, Québec. Construction is planned to begin in 2026, and we anticipate all retrofits and upgrades will be complete by 2028. St-Jean's facilities will remain fully functional during construction with no impact on military operations.
EPCs are being implemented at DND buildings across Canada as an efficient and innovative way of reducing our energy consumption, operating costs, and to contribute to the federal government's target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
