Case studies

Several customers have agreed to share their experience with natural gas. See case studies to explore the many benefits of natural gas for Québec businesses.

Educational

Collège de Lévis

At Collège de Lévis, heating was supplied by boilers from 1970. This equipment, which was not modular and had a capacity greater than the building’s actual needs, used up too much energy. Beyond that, the steam system was causing overheating and significant energy loss.

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Industrial

Cascades

Producing more paper without consuming more energy has always been a concern and value for Cascades, the world’s leading pulp and paper company.

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Alcoa

When Alcoa’s Deschambault aluminum smelter, near Québec City, wanted to improve the ventilation of its casting centre, where liquid aluminum is transformed into ingots, it seized the opportunity to innovate by installing a solar wall that generated energy savings and reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

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Industrial

Air Transat

In 2015, Air Transat installed a solar wall on its maintenance hangar located near the Montréal-Trudeau airport, thanks to a Solar Preheating Grant under Énergir’s Energy Efficiency Program – Renewable Energy. After four winters of use, this solar air preheating device has not only reduced the energy bill, it has also amortized the acquisition cost

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Office

CIBC Tower - Groupe Petra

When an architectural giant of the sixties needs liftan overhaul, the constraints and costs can add up quickly. But with assistance from , helped by the Énergir Grant for recommissioning building mechanical systems, the CIBC Tower got a new lease on life and obtained LEED certification..

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Education

Macdonald Campus - McGill University

For more than a century, a major part of McGill University’s Macdonald Campus has been heated with steam produced on-site and distributed by energy-consuming installations. The time had come for an update, one based on efficiency and energy diversification.

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Agricultural

Rose Drummond

Heating greenhouses is no mean feat and costs can quickly skyrocket. An environmentally friendly choice is all well and good, but economic concerns take precedence. In 2012 the price of natural gas became more attractive and commercial programs encouraged the purchase of new equipment. It was time to try something new.

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Garage

Motosport 4 Saisons

Motosport 4 Saisons has earned a reputation for top-notch customer service among recreational vehicle enthusiasts. And the move to natural gas heating gave the Trois-Rivières dealer a head start on reduced expenses and increased competitiveness.

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Industrial

Verger Roger Côté

For consumers, apples don’t just need to taste good—they need to look good. That’s why apple producers take care to wash, brush, polish and dry them before they go to market. For Mario Côté, the results were spotty until the team at his Rougemont orchard started using a dryer powered by natural gas.

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Social Housing and Health

RI Domaine-du-Roy

Ressource intermédiaire Domaine-du-Roy, a private halfway house for people with lost autonomy, boasts 52 rooms and an array of state-of-the-art equipment. And it relies on natural gas to make life comfortable for its residents.

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Municipality

City of Québec

Heating large spaces can often involve a great deal of energy loss. When building the Parc Chauveau indoor soccer complex, the goal was clear—ensure efficient heating and ventilation, excellent air quality, and especially a comfortable environment for the players, without overheating them.

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Health

CHUS

The Fleurimont Hospital, now part of CHUS, was built in the 1960s and converted to natural gas in the 80s. At the time, the goal of the conversion was simply to save money and reduce pollution.

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Transportation

EBI

Énergir has worked alongside EBI on its biomethane and CNG projects from the very beginning. Moreover, Énergir subsidies helped EBI convert its fleet of vehicles to natural gas.

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Restaurant

Traiteur Chez Vic

Traîteur Chez Vic is always hustling in the kitchen to serve nearly 800 customers each day. Since they converted to natural gas equipment, this caterer in Val-d'Or’s industrial park has enjoyed a steady, reliable and economical supply of energy.

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Store

LeVert Paysage Botanix

The LeVert Paysage Botanix gardening centre is strategically located in the Laurentians, a hub for landscaping. A lack of energy options in the region once meant high heating costs for the gardening centre. Now, a new gas network in the region has dramatically reduced costs and simplified operations for the family-run business.

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ESA, from the idea to the market

The start-up ESA had an idea: develop a new heat exchanger for heating poultry houses. Impressed by their innovation and the potential energy savings for our natural gas customers, Énergir awarded the project a grant as part of the Innovation Program.

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Industrial

Miel Labonté

Miel Labonté, founded in 1937, has earned a special place in Québec grocery stores with their appealing displays and quality products. To meet the growing demand for their products, the Victoriaville-based company modernized its production facilities by installing natural gas dryers. The result: a 25% increase in honey processing.

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Garage

Sopfeu

The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), based in a former terminal at Val-d'Or Airport, has some over-sized heating needs. When their old oil boilers conked out, this Abitibi-Témiscamingue non-profit organization turned to the savings and efficiency afforded by natural gas.

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Hotel

Impéria Hôtel et Suites

Éric Paquette and Jean-François Caron decided to join forces to create a homegrown hotel chain that offers business travellers a unique experience. When it came time to build their hotels, they chose natural gas without hesitation. Today they own two properties near Laval, and don’t intend to stop there.

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Garage

Mécanobec

Heating a garage is no mean feat. For starters, there’s the sheer size, constantly opening and closing doors and the need for good ventilation. At Mécanobec Auto Centre in Repentigny, employees used to shiver at work… until the old oil boiler was replaced with a natural gas appliance.

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Garage

Robert Paquette Autobus et Fils Inc.

Established in 1968 when it was awarded six school contracts, Robert Paquette Autobus et Fils Inc. now operates 140 vehicles and employs 140 qualified people. The company provides services for schools and cities, as well as extracurricular trips and organized groups. When it started looking at a more cost-effective and energy-efficient heating solution, the company had faith in its heating contractor’s experience and insight.

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Industrial

Fromagerie Boivin

Fromagerie Boivin is a family business founded in 1939 that makes some of Quebecers’ favourite cheeses. When the La Baie factory was consumed by flames in 2011, company directors decided to start fresh.

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Industrial

Buanderie Blanchelle

Buanderie Blanchelle has been providing linen and bedding supplies rental, maintenance and supply services to the healthcare sector since 1977. It operates in Québec and the United States with a team of 250 employees who share a common objective: contribute to the improvement of hygiene and quality in the hospital environment by providing customers with the very best services and products.

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Educational

CSPS

The Commission scolaire des Premières-Seigneuries (CSPS) has 74 schools, training centres and administrative buildings in the Québec City region. Over the years, the school board has benefited from Énergir incentives to convert some 20 buildings to natural gas and, as a result, has been saving money since 1990.

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Social Housing

Coopérative d'Habitation la Rive-Gauche

The idea behind housing cooperatives is to pool together everyone’s work and resources, and allow everyone to get involved on a daily basis in order to live better while spending less. Michel L’Espérance has a good grasp of this concept, which is why he turned to natural gas when it came time to upgrade the cooperative’s heating system.

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Social Housing and Health

Centre Regain de Vie

All non-profit organizations must juggle financial considerations and the Centre Regain de vie is no exception. To provide services such as listening, support, a community kitchen, food distribution and free drop-in daycare, they have to think about saving money and being energy efficient, but also well-being and safety.

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Recreation Facility

Granby Zoo

Over 30 years ago, all the pavilions at the Granby Zoo were heated by bulky old equipment that ran on heating oil. At the time, Énergir was already offering small natural gas units and financial assistance programs.

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