a guide to energy efficient best practices FOR ALBERTA’s road building & HEAVY CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FALL 2012 A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s Road Building & Heavy Construction Industry • 1 foreword ALBERTA ROADBUILDERS AND HEAVY CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION The Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) is Many of the best practices have been in place in different jurisdictions pleased to make this guide available to industry members and anyone else throughout North America for some time and while similar standards associated with the road building and heavy construction industry in Alberta. exist for the industry regardless of province or state, each jurisdiction has its own specific needs and not every method of saving energy works The ARHCA is proud of the industry’s many accomplishments, particularly in every jurisdiction. related to reducing GHG emissions. It’s part of our mandate to ensure members have the educational resources and tools they need to make their A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s Road Building & Heavy operations as energy efficient as possible. Construction Industry will be an evolving document that will be updated as necessary in its online format. The ARHCA welcomes any suggestions from The best practices outlined in this guide aren’t meant to be all encompassing members on how to improve or add to the guide. or significantly detailed. They are guidelines to consider or follow – some are easily implemented and others will take more research and exploration to I want to thank Alberta Transportation and Alberta Environment and determine if they are economically and logistically feasible for any given Sustainable Resource Development for partnering with the ARHCA on this company in the industry. project and the ARHCA members and staff and Government of Alberta staff who contributed to the guide. A number of our members already have measures in place to reduce emissions and I hope those firms and the information in this document will encourage I also want to thank the B.C. Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association others to look at where they can improve their operations and become more for their permission to use significant portions of their May 2011 document, energy efficient – a responsibility we all bear if we are to help meet the Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the B.C. Road Building and environmental challenges the world currently faces. Maintenance Industry. The information and examples in their document were invaluable to the ARHCA in developing our own best practices guide for Alberta. Gene Syvenky CEO Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association 2 • A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s Road Building & Heavy Construction Industry GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA The Government of Alberta, under the direction of Premier Alison Redford, A key goal of the province’s partnership with the Alberta Roadbuilders is committed to improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas and Heavy Construction Association is to find innovative ways to improve (GHG) emissions throughout Alberta. We are proud to have developed some energy efficiency in road building and related activities. Through this of North America’s most progressive environmental policies and initiatives. partnership, we have the opportunity to work together on practical strategies Indeed, Alberta was the first jurisdiction in North America to regulate and tools that can be implemented right away on job sites and roadworks emissions reductions by all large industrial emitters and put a price on carbon. throughout the province. Under Alberta’s 2008 Climate Change Strategy, these actions are achieving Aside from immediate application, we are also working together on innovative real results. In total, since 2007, more than 32 million tonnes of GHGs have new techniques such as alternate fuels and warm-mix asphalt, making Alberta been reduced from business as usual. More than $312 million has been paid a leader in green technology. We encourage both industry and government into Alberta’s clean energy technology fund – with more than $167 million of staff to read this manual and apply best practices to their work. that already invested into 30 clean energy projects. By 2050, the Government On behalf of the Government of Alberta, we look forward to continuing of Alberta will have reduced emissions by 200 megatonnes – or 14 percent to work with you, our industry partners, to improve Alberta’s competitiveness below 2005 levels. and environmental performance. As new ideas are brought forward, examined Although provincial policies have focused on main emissions sources – and explored, we will be building on the principles laid out in this manual in industry stacks – we take emissions related to the transportation sector our ongoing efforts to be at the forefront of climate change mitigation and seriously. Many of the best practices contained in this manual are aimed at energy efficiency. improving efficiencies – which will help reduce emissions – but also help improve competitiveness by reducing costs and limiting fossil fuel use. Tim Grant Dana Woodworth Deputy Minister Deputy Minister Alberta Transportation Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s Road Building & Heavy Construction Industry • 3 The Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association is proud of the industry’s many accomplishments, particularly related to reducing GHG emissions. This guide is a compilation of best practices for reducing GHG emissions in the province’s heavy construction and road building industry. contents 6 Introduction 27 Energy Efficient Asphalt Production 8 ARHCA/Government of Alberta Memorandum of Understanding 29 Pavement Surfacing and Rehabilitation 9 Regulatory Considerations 29 Hot and Warm Mix Asphalt 10 Environmental Management System 30 Increased RAP Content in HMA Mixture 11 Acknowledgements 31 Cold-in-Place Recycling 31 Full Depth Reclamation 13 Energy Efficient Construction Vehicles and Equipment 31 Recycled Portland Cement Concrete 13 Emissions Standards 32 Process and Equipment Efficiencies 13 Light Duty and Heavy Duty Vehicles 32 Aggregate Moisture Content 14 Off-Road Diesel Equipment 33 Dryer Burner Combustion Efficiency 35 Modernizing Dryer Design 15 Retrofit echnologiesT 36 Lower Carbon Fuels for Dryer Burners 16 Alternative Fuels 36 Paving Plant Insulation Upgrading 16 Diesel 37 Hot Oil Heater Design Efficiency 16 Natural Gas 17 Propane 38 Summary 17 Biodiesel 18 Truck and Equipment Maintenance 40 References 18 Vehicle Inspections 20 Driver Training and Behaviour 21 Operating Speeds 22 Other Fuel Saving Techniques 22 Idle Reduction 24 Route Optimization 24 Monitoring Fuel Use 25 Stationary Equipment 25 Solar Powered Signage 25 Electrified Facilities A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s Road Building & Heavy Construction Industry • 5 introduction An effective network of roads and highways fosters the safe, efficient One of our key objectives is to provide educational opportunities and tools movement of people and goods, and contributes to Alberta’s economy. to our members to foster improvement in environmental practices. By making As a global energy supplier and a dynamic, prosperous and growing province, tools such as this guide available to our members, the ARHCA and its industry Alberta has the significant responsibility of building and maintaining sectors are doing their part to help Alberta meet the targets set out in the transportation networks while greening the province’s economic growth. Climate Change Strategy and the Provincial Energy Strategy. Economic development, competitiveness issues and industry growth need Best practices in energy efficiency are not new in road building and heavy to be considered in developing measures and actions to increase energy construction. The industry has been diligent for a number of years in ensuring efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2008, Alberta the vehicles, equipment and processes used become increasingly energy renewed its 2002 climate change plan under which all Albertans play efficient. Many practices are now standard throughout North America and a part in addressing climate change. Alberta’s 2008 Climate Change Strategy manufacturers are ensuring new equipment meets emissions standards or are is aimed at moving toward real reductions in GHG emissions. The goal of producing add-ons that can be retrofitted to existing equipment. a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2050, compared to business as usual, The practices explained in this document are meant to reduce GHG emissions, will result in a 14 percent reduction below 2005 levels. improve fuel efficiency and increase competitiveness. All practices will typically The province implemented the first legislation of its kind in Canada to reduce lead in some ways to lower costs for companies that have implemented, or plan emissions and one of the three key goals in the 2008 Climate Change Strategy to implement, related technologies and practices. is to reduce GHG emissions by transforming how Albertans use energy, The first section of A Guide to Energy Efficient Best Practices for Alberta’s applying energy efficient solutions and conserving energy. Road Building & Heavy Construction Industry provides an overview of best The Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) practices that apply to drivers and equipment