TORONTO, ON - June 05, 2014 /CNW/ - Scotiabank has crowned three winners of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards at a Gala ceremony to honour all finalists. Winners of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Business Leadership Award, Innovation Award and Student Leadership Award were recognized for their innovations in home energy efficiency and shared $75,000 in award incentives. The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards Gala took place at the Art Gallery of Ontario and was attended by more than 175 Scotiabank customers and leaders from the clean energy technology sector.

The 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards winners are:

"The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards recognize Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs and students for excellence in the development of home energy efficiency products, services and solutions," said Michael Durland, Scotiabank's Group Head and CEO, Global Banking & Markets, who hosted the Awards Gala on behalf of the Bank. "We honour our finalists and congratulate our winners for their leadership and their success in the field of energy conservation."

"New research conducted by Scotiabank Economics which will be released tomorrow morning indicates that the average cost of energy consumed by Canadian households has risen by roughly five percent over the past year," continued Mr. Durland. "This diverts as much as $4 billion from spending on more discretionary items and creates a strong incentive for households to reduce energy consumption."

The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards are part of the Bank's customer focused environmental program, Scotiabank EcoLiving. Introduced in 2010, this program is uniquely focused on educating Canadians on the benefits of home energy efficiency and green home improvements.

Nominations for the 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards came in from all across Canada. Each one showcased innovative, creative solutions by businesses and individuals who are dedicated to enabling residential energy efficiency. 

"We are delighted to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of our winners," said Kaz Flinn, Scotiabank's Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. "Each one stands at the forefront of residential energy conservation in Canada and is playing a critical role in pushing both dialogue and action, helping Canadians make greener choices for their homes, reduce their energy bills, and save money."

Information about the 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards winning submissions:

The 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Student Leadership Award, valued at $10,000 was awarded to Yining (Fiona) Yuan and Christopher Tegho, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec for their submission: Energy Management and Power Disaggregation.

• This system helps to achieve energy efficiency in households, businesses and institutions by allowing end users to monitor and control the energy consumption of individual appliances. The system uses artificial intelligence and data provided by one power meter installed at distribution feeders to provide information at the appliance level. 

The 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Innovation Award valued at $15,000 was awarded to Tim Johnson, Ottawa, Ontario for his submission: EnergyMobile Studios Inc.

• EnergyMobile builds easy-to-use apps that help consumers understand home energy consumption. Designed to promote awareness and boost literacy, these tools enable users to make energy-smart choices that save money and reduce environmental impact

The 2014 Scotiabank EcoLiving Business Leadership Award, valued at $50,000, was awarded to Jennifer Corson and Keith Robertson, Halifax, Nova Scotia for their submission: Shape, Study, Share - The Solterre Approach.

• Solterre Design expands the boundaries of green building through three steps: shape, study, and share. Solterre shapes cost-effective and small footprint designs, providing accessible and affordable high-performance housing. Solterre studies the results of its work through ongoing monitoring, and shares this research with industry colleagues, students and clients.

Finalists and winners were chosen from a highly-competitive field of applications by an independent judging panel including: Valérie Bécaert, Executive Director of the CIRAIG; John Godden, Principal, Clearsphere; Shawn McCarthy, Global Energy Reporter, The Globe and Mail; Mark Salerno, Manager, Ontario Communications and Marketing Centre, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and, Ed Whittingham, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute. To learn more about the judges, visithttp://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/awards.

For more information about the Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards, the 2014 Finalists, our Judges and the Scotiabank EcoLiving program overall, please visit http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com. 

About Scotiabank EcoLiving
Scotiabank's EcoLiving, which launched in 2010, is a unique program focused on educating Canadians on the shared benefits of home energy efficiency and green home improvements. With its emphasis on demonstrating how people can save money by saving energy, and at the same time reduce their impact on climate change, Scotiabank's EcoLiving program communicates the advantages of energy efficiency and sustainable practices. The EcoLiving website includes a financial calculator and information on government rebates, which allow users to plan and finance their projects and see the savings that can result from environmentally friendly renovations. As energy prices continue to increase and residential energy efficiency continues to be a factor in renovation trends, EcoLiving is a resource that provides users with the tools to make informed decisions.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through our team of more than 86,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates offer a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking to over 21 million customers. With assets of $792 billion (as at April 30, 2014), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.

For further information or media inquiries:

Devinder Lamsar
Scotiabank Media Communications
416-933-1171