City of Cranbrook new hire

The newly created position of corporate energy manager for the City of Cranbrook has been filled

by Marie Milner — October 25, 2013

Man in business wear standing outdoors with a large building in the background, and a sign saying Western Financial Place

1 of 2Cranbrook's corporate energy manager, Jay Armstrong, visits Western Financial Place, a facility in his purview. — Marie Milner photo

Two men standing with red brick building—Cranbrook City Hall—in the background

2 of 2Cranbrook's mayor, Wayne Stetski (L), stands with the City's new corporate energy manager, Jay Armstrong, in front of Cranbrook city hall. — Marie Milner photo

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The City of Cranbrook got a lucky break when Jay Armstrong, 34, applied for its newly created position of corporate energy manager. Armstrong is a professional engineer (P.Eng.) with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Victoria and he’s a graduate of the sustainable energy management program at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). He is fresh off a three-year term as energy manager for the Saanich School District. The bonus is that he was born and raised in Cranbrook.

A fork in the path

“I earned good money for a few years in high technology and engineering,” said Armstrong, “but then one day I took a hard look at my future. I realized that just making a living isn’t enough—I want to make a contribution to the bigger picture as well.”

Right around that time, Armstrong attended a talk by Dr. William Rees and Guy Dauncey about climate, energy and global impact. He came away knowing that this was a field in which he wanted to work. After a few years of independent consulting, he enrolled in the sustainable energy management program at BCIT.

When Armstrong heard about the new position created by the City of Cranbrook, he applied for it immediately, excited at the possibility of moving back to his hometown. His girlfriend, wildlife artist Heidi Brookes, moved to Cranbrook with him. The two enjoy the outdoors, particularly canoeing on local lakes, hiking, exploring and taking photographs.

What the job entails

Chris Zettel, the City of Cranbrook’s corporate communications officer, said that energy efficiency effectiveness has been on the general radar for some time.

“The City decided to partner with BC Hydro to improve our efficiency and save some money at the same time,” he said. “The mayor and council created the corporate energy manager position as a two-year term position for now, and BC Hydro will pay 50 to 70 per cent of Jay’s salary, depending on how well we meet their targets.”

The energy manager is responsible for working with the City of Cranbrook to manage and reduce energy use—hydro, heating, natural gas, HVAC, propane and gasoline—within the municipal buildings and facilities.

Armstrong will track the City’s corporate energy consumption and the related costs, and over time will identify and implement some improvements to create better energy efficiency within the corporation. He will develop a strategic energy-management plan, laying out goals and objectives for energy conservation and possible use of renewable energy.

Cranbrook’s mayor, Wayne Stetski, had a long list of ideas waiting for Armstrong on his arrival.

“I was really excited to see this position move forward,” Stetski said. “Having a healthy environment is key to having a healthy community and a sustainable economy, and having one of Cranbrook’s kids come home to build a better future for our city is exactly what our youth strategy encourages. I am looking forward to seeing where Mr. Armstrong’s vision will take us.”

Developing his strategy

Armstrong is in the process of narrowing his focus within the many areas of the city, looking at past corporate practices on energy conservation and gathering ideas that are presented to him by staff and council. He’s also working with BC Hydro and FortisBC, and said that there’s a lot of data to gather.

“I need to focus on building a foundation that will hold up in the future,” he said. “I’m pretty good with spreadsheets, and I have some skill at playing detective with energy issues in buildings. This position requires some sensitivity to the history and the people that are involved.”

Armstrong mused for a moment, deciding how to describe his goals.

“If you were investing for yourself,” he said, “you would likely be happy with a low-risk investment guaranteed to pay you five per cent or more. That’s the kind of energy investment I’m after for the City. My guiding principle is: Take care of the infrastructure, improve it, and turn a profit.”