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Strathcona Regional District Gets in the Energy Loop

Campbell River, Strathcona Regional District
The Ice Rink Keeps the Pool Warm at the Strathcona Gardens Recreation Centre.

The Strathcona Gardens Recreation Centre in Campbell River, Strathcona Regional District installed an ‘energy recovery loop’ which channels waste energy from the ice rink’s compressor room to heating the Centre’s pools.

Photo: Heat Pumps: Heat pumps remove the energy from the glycol circulating in the piping system and heat the swimming pools.

Success Story Snapshot
Energy Savings / GHG Reductions: The energy saved by this project will be between 11,000 and 13,000 gigajoules of natural gas energy every year. This will amount to between 561,000 and 663,000 kg of CO2 reductions per year.
Business case: The reduction of natural gas used will save local government $50,000-$60,000 annually.
Co-benefits: Community and staff awareness and education of climate action increased. The project is an example of staff and elected officials commitment to GHG reductions.
Total project cost: The total project cost was $ 310,000 – funded by Gas Tax and local governments.

Project Summary

The Strathcona Gardens Recreation Centre is a local government operated multi-purpose recreation facility that includes two ice arenas, swimming and leisure pools and a variety of other fitness and recreational components. It is located in the City of Campbell River – in the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) on Vancouver Island.
 
In 2014 the SRD took climate action at the building level by installing an energy recovery system at their recreation centre. The system consists of a six inch pipe full of glycol that runs in a continuous loop from the arena condensing tower to the heat pumps located near the recreation centre pools and back to the arena. Because of the circular route of the energy recovery system it is often simply called ‘the energy loop’. 

The energy loop channels waste heat from the arena ammonia compressor room, where ice is made for the two rinks, to the swimming and leisure pools. It uses 600 feet of pipe. Energy is added to the loop at the compressor room and removed as needed to heat the pools.

“The whole system is really a very simple concept of absorbing waste heat or energy from one location and bringing it to an area where there is a demand” explains Lorne Parker, the Operations Manager of the Strathcona Gardens Recreation Complex. “In the recreation centre we are constantly cooling one area of our building while heating another.”

Parker initiated the retrofit by researching the system and by exploring funding opportunities. He received full support from the Strathcona Gardens Commission. The Commission oversees the operation of Strathcona Gardens Recreation Centre and consists of representatives from the City of Campbell River and Strathcona Regional District Electoral Area D.

The Strathcona Gardens Commission approved and awarded construction of the energy loop to a Victoria company in August 2013. The construction was completed March 13, 2014.

The energy loop is designed and sized in a way that will enable future expansions to connect to the current infrastructure at a significantly lower cost. Future expansions or connections to the energy loop could include air handling units, preheating domestic water and snow melting pits for the ice cleaning machines.

Energy Savings/GHG reductions

The energy saved by the participating local governments as a result of this project will be between 11,000 and 13,000 gigajoules of natural gas energy every year. This will be a 561,000 and 663,000 kg of CO2 reduction in CO2 produced. These savings will significantly reduce the natural gas bill and will also reduce the carbon footprint of the recreation complex.

Business Case

The total project cost was $310,000 with $99,750 coming from a grant and the remainder funded by the Strathcona Regional District. The grant money was supplied by the Gas Tax Fund (Gas Tax Innovations Fund) – managed by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).

“Investment in high efficiency heating systems like Strathcona Gardens is helping to reduce the carbon footprint from local government operations. We are appreciative of the support provided by the Federal government for this project,” said Rhona Martin UBCM President

The reduction of natural gas used to heat the main and leisure pools will save the local government $50,000-$60,000 annually.

Co-Benefits

Increased community awareness about climate action solutions are an additional benefit of the energy loop system. The innovative system serves as a public education tool about waste-heat recovery and informs staff about building energy reduction.

Complementary education such as building operator training helps staff identify other energy-reduction and maintenance measures to save energy in the same building. Subsequently, staff has also replaced arena lighting with energy efficient fixtures and are participating in a anti-idling campaign.

The entire project shows the commitment of the Strathcona Regional District and its citizens to reducing greenhouse gases.

Lessons learned

Strathcona Gardens Recreation Complex Operations Manager Lorne Parker encourages other local governments to consider this type of climate action tool and to tour other facilities that have undertaken similar types of projects. Research is a key component for successful projects. Parker has learned the importance of early preparation when applying for grant money, “I try to have my projects and RFP’s shelf-ready, so that when there is opportunity you can take full advantage.”

Related Tools

The following Tools can be used for researching energy recovery loops for corporate operations

The Strathcona Regional District has policies in place that support this climate action success.

The Regional District signed the BC Climate Action Charter committing them to three goals:

1. Become carbon neutral in its corporate operations by 2012
2. Measure and report on its community greenhouse gas emissions profile
3. Create complete, compact, energy efficient rural and urban communities

Other Examples: 

Links to other BC Communities taking the same climate action:

 

Contact: 
Lorne Parker Manager of Operations. Strathcona Gardens Recreation Complex, lparker@strathconard.ca, 250-287-9234 ext 237

Investment in high efficiency heating systems like Strathcona Gardens is helping to reduce the carbon footprint from local government operations.

Focus: 
Operations
Community type: 
District/Region
Related tools: 
Energy Efficient Equipment Policy
Infrastructure Design & Engineering
Management Plans for Infrastructure and Resources

Small-Scale Biomass District Heating Handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to support a growing number of small communities across British Columbia and Alberta interested in making a business case for biomass district heating (DH).

Carbon Neutral Local Government
Civic Building Retrofit
District Energy Systems
Green Infrastructure Policy
Integrated Resource Recovery: IRR
Author: Community Energy Association
Publisher: Agriculture & Food Council of Alberta, the Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada
Mar, 2014

http://communityenergy.bc.ca/?dlm_download_category=heating

Sector: 
Civic Buildings
Community Buildings
Focus: 
Operations
Resource type: 
Reports & Guides

Dawson Creek Carbon Fund

Dawson Creek
The City of Dawson Creek is committed to implementing emission reduction projects that will minimize their carbon liability prior to purchasing offsets to achieve carbon neutrality.

The establishment of the Carbon Fund has allowed the City to put a price on their corporate carbon that is then made available to implement corporate and community emission reduction projects, with corporate emission reduction projects given first priority. These reductions are intended to help reduce the number of offsets the City purchases each year to achieve carbon neutrality.  

Success Story Snapshot
Energy Savings / GHG Reductions: Energy savings will be tied to the reduction potential of projects that are supported through the Carbon Fund.
Business case: By putting a price on carbon the City is developing an internal incentive to reduce corporate emissions and associated energy costs.
Co-benefits: The Carbon Fund supports investments in corporate and community projects, helps to drive the local green economy and assists in insulating the City from rising energy prices.
Total project cost: The City initially established a charge of $100/tonne of corporate GHGs produced annually.

Project Summary

The City of Dawson Creek’s Carbon Fund (the Fund) is supporting the City’s Climate Action Charter commitments, including the goal to achieve corporate carbon neutrality by 2012. Approved by Council in June 2011, the Fund is established through the Dawson Creek Carbon Fund Policy, which allows the City to put a price on their corporate carbon emissions and then reinvest those funds back into projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Any corporate emissions that are remaining at the end of each year will be counterbalanced through the purchase of offsets, which are financed separately from the Fund. The City is committed to making every effort to implement feasible emission reduction projects before relying on offset purchases to achieve corporate carbon neutrality.

 

Energy Savings/GHG reductions

Because the Fund has been established to invest in a range of emission reduction projects, it is difficult to predict the specific amount by which corporate emissions will be reduced within the City. The Fund policy does, however, establish a number of criteria for the selection of projects including the requirement that emission reductions from projects are real, measurable and permanent.  The identification of potential projects is underway, and first priority  will be given to those that reduce the City’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions. 

Business Case

The City initially established a charge of $100 per tonne of corporate GHGs produced annually. The investment is scheduled to increase by whichever is the greater of either $5 per year, or in accordance with increases in the BC Carbon Tax. The Fund is partially financed partly by grants received through the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP) with the balance being made up through contributions from the City’s general funds. The Fund currently holds an estimated $360,000.

Co-Benefits

  • supports investments in corporate and community projects
  • helps to drive the local green economy
  • assists in insulating the City from rising energy prices

Lessons learned

Three key lessons can be drawn from the establishment of the Carbon Fund:

  • Political support is critical to ensuring that any public perception that the Fund may result in ‘paying extra’ to achieve carbon neutrality is managed, and that the Fund is seen as demonstrating the City’s commitment to climate action
  • Clear and consistent communication with Council on the opportunities that can be derived from Fund investments in local government infrastructure can assist in building support and interest
  • As significant resources accumulate, ensuring that there is a process in place to select projects will ensure consistency and transparency in the use of the Fund

Related Tools

Other Examples

Municipal Contact

Kevin Henderson
Director of Infrastructure & Sustainable Development
City of Dawson Creek Engineering Department
Ph: 250-784-3622
Email: khenderson@dawsoncreek.ca
http://www.dawsoncreek.ca

The City of Dawson Creek’s Carbon Fund allows the City to put a price on their corporate carbon emissions and then reinvest those funds back into projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Related tools: 
Annual Budget - Holistic Planning
Carbon Neutral Local Government
Sector: 
Strategy
Focus: 
Operations

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