In today’s ever-evolving industrial landscape, it can be challenging to plan your future activities, investments and costs. Managing your own operations while keeping an eye on the external environment is more than a full-time job — and you’re doing it all with expenses at the forefront. With so much to consider at once, energy efficiency may be the last thing on your mind.
However, it’s because of all these considerations that it’s essential to reframe your priorities and put energy efficiency at the top of your list. It’s a crucial resource for addressing concerns related to environmental and economic sustainability. Taking an “energy efficiency first” approach is an investment with guaranteed returns through bill savings, lower operational costs and improved productivity. By addressing inefficiencies now, you’ll benefit for years to come.
The good news is that you don’t have to pursue this approach alone. Efficiency Manitoba is here to empower you to take control of your energy use and costs. By offering financial incentives, professional training and ongoing support, they can help you implement sustainable energy practices that reduce your costs and contribute to a greener future.
HOW EFFICIENCY MANITOBA’S STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGER INITIATIVE CAN HELP
Efficiency Manitoba’s Strategic Energy Manager Initiative is dedicated to supporting large industrial companies that are interested in taking a strategic approach to reducing energy consumption within the organization. This program supports organizations with financial incentives to offset the cost of hiring and maintaining a full-time dedicated energy manager. This on-site energy manager will be solely committed to identifying energy and cost-saving opportunities in your organization and developing a Strategic Energy Management Plan. Through their guidance and expertise, you can take the burden of leading energy efficiency initiatives off your shoulders and keep rising energy costs from impacting your bottom line.
What is a Strategic Energy Management Plan?
With Efficiency Manitoba’s help, your dedicated energy manager will be responsible for putting together a Strategic Energy Management Plan, which is a formal energy reduction strategy for your facility. This plan will outline annual savings targets and potential energy-saving projects. As your organization progresses through the program, your energy manager will continue to receive coaching, training and support to build their expertise and update your Plan annually. Efficiency Manitoba will assist the energy manager throughout the entire process and facilitate collaboration across your organization, ensuring everyone is involved in creating a culture of conservation.
SUCCESSFUL SAVINGS, BY THE NUMBERS
Since its launch in 2023, Efficiency Manitoba’s Strategic Energy Manager Initiative has already seen impressive results. Several large industrial organizations throughout Manitoba are participating in the program, including Boeing, McCain Foods, Malteurop, StandardAero, Winpak, the Royal Canadian Mint, Magellan and Cenovus. Each of these organizations is benefiting from the extensive financial and technical support offered through the program, helping them cut costs and reduce their environmental impact. The proof of the program’s success is in the numbers. To date, this program has helped these industrial facilities achieve electricity savings of 12.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) and natural gas savings of over 5.2 million m3. These savings, which is equivalent to the energy use of approximately 2,730 homes in Manitoba, also saves these organizations a combined $1,427,611 in annual energy costs. That’s money that can be reinvested to enhance profitability, boost operational resilience and strengthen long-term competitiveness.
PROJECT FEATURE: CENOVUS
Cenovus is Efficiency Manitoba’s newest participant in the Strategic Energy Manager Initiative, having joined in April 2025. However, their commitment to energy efficiency goes much further back. Their Minnedosa-based ethanol plant has already participated in several Efficiency Manitoba offers including their Custom Energy Solutions Program, Business Lighting Program and Feasibility Studies.
“We’ve had great experiences working with Efficiency Manitoba, and we’re looking forward to building on that momentum,” says Rajesh Gupta, Energy Manager and Senior Technical Advisor at Cenovus. “Their Strategic Energy Manager Initiative supports our ongoing efforts to reduce our plant’s energy consumption.”
After joining the program, Cenovus held its Strategic Energy Management Workshop in June.
“It was a great first step to get buy-in from all our employees and make this a team effort we can all be proud of,” says Rajesh. As their energy manager continues to identify opportunities for the plant to reduce its electricity and natural gas consumption Cenovus has already initiated some lower-cost energy-saving projects. They’re also implementing an ISO 50001 energy management system that goes above and beyond the program requirements.
“I’ve been impressed with the support Efficiency Manitoba provides through this program,” continues Rajesh. “Their team is always ready to support us as we work through our energy reduction strategy. I’m excited to see how much our plant can save as the program progresses.”
COMING SOON: STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT COHORTS
Efficiency Manitoba’s Strategic Energy Manager Initiative is ideal for large industrial facilities that use more than 20 GWh of electricity every year. However, plenty of industrial organizations use less than this. That’s why they’re introducing a new Strategic Energy Management Cohorts initiative, which is aimed at facilities using at least 2 GWh of electricity annually.
Instead of funding a single energy manager, this new program will bring multiple medium-sized organizations together to participate in a shared energy efficiency experience. Participants will still have access to workshops, coaching, technical support and bonus incentives, offering many of the same benefits as the Strategic Energy Manager Initiative. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months for an announcement about the launch of this exciting program!
START SAVING ENERGY TODAY
If you’re a larger industrial facility with a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and energy efficiency, Efficiency Manitoba wants to help you reach your financial and sustainability goals. Get in touch with their team by emailing energymanager@efficiencyMB.ca; they’ll help you determine if participating in one of their Strategic Energy Management offers is the best next step on your facility’s path to energy efficiency.
To learn more about Efficiency Manitoba’s Industrial programs and other energy efficiency technologies, visit efficiencyMB.ca/industrial.
Program benefits and supports
The Strategic Energy Manager Initiative provides the following supports:
- A fully funded, professionally led Strategic Energy Management Workshop, bringing your facility together as a team and facilitating a collective approach to identifying and implementing energy-saving opportunities
- Ongoing coaching and funding for approved training courses, such as Certified Energy Manager training to help your energy manager build their expertise
- An enhanced incentive structure for large capital projects on top of the standard Efficiency Manitoba offer incentives
- Extra incentives for low-cost and no-cost projects that don’t fall under the existing Efficiency Manitoba offers, ensuring you’re rewarded for taking additional steps to optimize your energy use
- Access to Efficiency Manitoba’s extensive Equipment Lending Library, allowing your energy manager to borrow instruments and logging tools to better understand your organization’s energy use
- Access to a variety of marketing materials, templates, and tips to communicate energy saving initiatives in your organization and encourage employee involvement
By leveraging Efficiency Manitoba’s extensive supports, your facility will be well-positioned to achieve substantial energy savings and meet sustainability targets.
