Comox Valley Regional District Energy Sharing and Emissions Reduction Study

Energy sharing presents an exciting opportunity for municipalities to reduce their corporate greenhouse gas emissions.

hcma, in collaboration with Archineers, conducted a study to evaluate the potential to reduce the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre's carbon emissions by establishing an energy sharing system with nearby buildings and infrastructure. The study focused on recovering waste or stranded energy associated with building engineering systems, including heat rejection from cooling, space heating, domestic hot water, or process energy from three nearby buildings.

The work included building utility data analysis and site visits to each building to meet operators and energy managers. Analysis and interviews confirmed good potential to capture excess heat from one adjacent building to offset heating demand at the Aquatic Centre. An energy concept was developed which included moving waste heat via pipe network to an inter-seasonal heat storage area in the ground to be used at the aquatic centre when most advantageous. Greenhouse gas reductions for the Comox Valley Regional District are estimated at 665 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year (665 tCO2e / year).