This training equips learners with the knowledge and practical skills required to develop long-term, strategic Energy Management Plans (EMPs) for agricultural operations. Building on foundational energy auditing concepts, learners move beyond one-time assessments to structured planning that integrates energy performance, greenhouse gas (GHG) management, financial decision-making, governance, and continuous improvement. The training is aligned with recognized frameworks, including ISO 50001 and the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management, and is tailored specifically to the operational realities of farms.
This microcredential responds directly to provincial priorities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening farm energy resilience and achieving the target of net-zero emissions by 2040. This microcredential equips learners to transform those findings into comprehensive Energy Management Plans. These plans directly support farm operators in developing project applications that are actionable, financially sound, accelerate clean technology adoption, reduce emissions and increase farm resilience to energy costs.
By the end of this training, learners will be able to develop a farm-specific Energy Management Plan that establishes energy baselines, sets measurable energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, identifies practical improvement strategies across farm operations, and promotes stakeholder engagement to support long-term sustainability and resilience.
Energy management planning is an essential stage to any retrofit process, ensuring that opportunities identified in energy assessments are prioritized, costed and translated into practical implementation strategies. The Agriculture Energy Management Planning microcredential will equip learners with the ability to develop comprehensive energy management plans tailored to an operation, establish baselines and benchmarks, set measurable energy and GHG reduction goals, and prioritize energy conservation measures.
Although developed with agricultural operations in mind, the competencies in planning, financial analysis, and conservation measure prioritization are highly transferable to residential, commercial, and institutional retrofit projects. Learners will be able to evaluate retrofit options, forecast cost savings, and align projects with funding incentives and low carbon targets, strengthening investment decisions from building owners.
This training also prepares learners to support adoption of clean technologies applicable across both farms and buildings. By building national capacity to create long-term energy management strategies, the training contributes directly to reducing energy consumption, improving retrofit success rates. Through this microcredential, learners will not only help farms transition but will also gain transferrable expertise that supports Canada's retrofit aqenda and the shift to a low carbon economy.
C2R2 is a pan-Canadian coalition of colleges, cégeps, and polytechnics dedicated to bridging the skills gap for a resilient recovery. Our members have the expertise and agility to deliver impactful training programs and applied research that support energy security and sustainability. Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, serves as the Coordinating Secretariat for C2R2, leading national projects and advocacy.