Summary
This case study from Abbotsford, B.C., demonstrates how a heat recovery system can boost energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by sharing heat among three facilities within one recreation complex. This innovative approach will lead to significant operational cost savings for the City and improve comfort for building users. This retrofit project is also being used as an opportunity to enhance building accessibility and promote equitable use of the centre.
Background and challenges
The Abbotsford Recreation Centre is a large civic centre in the City of Abbotsford, B.C., that includes three main functional facilities within one building: an aquatic centre built in the 1970s, an ice arena added in the 1990s and a community centre that was completed in the late 2000s.
Like many municipalities, Abbotsford is dealing with aging infrastructure and facilities that have been expanded over time, resulting in operational inefficiencies across building systems. These expansions have led to many cases of having different building standards, life cycles and mechanical systems within a single building. In the Abbotsford Recreation Centre, for example, each facility has a separate heating system. The building is a high energy consumer and a significant contributor to the city’s GHG emissions, which is why it was prioritized for retrofit.
The goal of this retrofit project is to interconnect all mechanical systems in the Abbotsford Recreation Centre in order to efficiently share thermal (heat) energy throughout the centre, thereby reducing operational costs, energy consumption and GHG emissions.
The project budget is approximately $10 million, of which $4.45 million was secured through funding from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) Program and $4.2 million through B.C.’s Growing Communities Fund. Another $1.2 million was provided by the City.
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Study: GHG reduction pathway feasibility
Assess the feasibility of projects that extend asset life, lower ownership costs and reduce energy use and GHG emissions for recreational and cultural facilities.
Capital project: GHG impact retrofit
Retrofit a local recreational or cultural facility to directly reduce emissions with support from capital project funding.
Capital project: GHG reduction pathway retrofit
Use an outcomes-driven approach to retrofit a single facility or multiple facilities, aiming for near–net zero carbon buildings over time, financed through capital project funding.
Timeline
Project design began in fall 2023, during which accessibility upgrades, including wheelchair pool lifts, were completed. The design phase will be completed by late 2024, with construction beginning in early 2025. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
Approach
Six stages of work will reduce GHG emissions as much as possible. These are:
- Replacing the air handling unit for the aquatic centre.
- Installing a heat recovery chiller, adding a heat recovery coil to the aquatic centre’s air handling unit and replacing the pool’s heat exchangers.
- Connecting the aquatic centre to the arena ice plant.
- Connecting the aquatic centre to other air handling units in the building.
- Integrating the aquatic centre with the rest of the Recreation Centre for unified energy management.
- Adding heat recovery systems to capture and reuse heat from the ice arena’s cooling loop.
Expected results
- 70 percent reduction in demand for natural gas
- $75,000 annual reduction in operational costs
- 41 percent annual energy savings
- 455 tCO2e reduction in annual GHG emissions
- improved air quality in the aquatic centre
- accessibility improvements: two new wheelchair pool lifts are helping individuals with mobility challenges navigate spaces independently and safely
Challenges addressed
The City’s project team understood that to successfully deliver such a complex project, it would be crucial to utilize a collaborative delivery model. The City engaged an owner’s advisor, a consultant who provides direction and guidance on overall project management and approach, to help select consultants and contractors with experience in this type of project delivery. As part of its early contractor engagement approach, the City hired a construction manager early in the process so that they could contribute their expertise to the design phase, providing feedback to the design consultant to avoid potential construction pitfalls or complications and help keep costs in check.
The initial cost estimate in 2020 was around $5.9 million. However, this figure doubled by 2023 due to supply chain disruptions related to COVID-19 and limited capacity in the trade industry. Fortunately, the project had a secured grant that initially covered about 80 percent of the budget, although this amount is now only enough to cover 50 percent of the updated project costs. Despite these challenges, the City remains committed to the project, recognizing the benefits of operational cost savings, energy efficiency, enhanced accessibility, improved comfort and an overall better user experience. Additionally, the City adopted a corporate Green Buildings Policy in 2022, and this retrofit project aligns well with the goals of the policy and is the first major retrofit project to fall under the policy requirements.
Next steps
Once the retrofit project is complete, the City plans to:
- Monitor energy use and operational energy expenses.
- Track GHG emissions reductions.
- Track patron thermal comfort and experience.
- Share its experience in collaborative project delivery model and project outcomes with other local governments.
More information about the ARC HeRO Project.
