Kelowna

The City of Kelowna, in conjunction with the Community Energy Association, will investigate the potential for district energy systems in several areas of the city.

Community Energy Planner, Peter Robinson, says district energy can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring businesses and residences have a secure source of energy.

"By using renewable sources and sharing energy, both economic and environmental savings can be found," says Robinson.

"At this stage of analysis, opportunities mainly involve recovering heat currently being wasted and using that heat in new and in some cases, existing, buildings."

An open house will be held Tuesday, November 10 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Waste Water Treatment Facility on Raymer Avenue for those interested in learning more about district energy.

Robinson says systems can provide heat, and sometimes cooling, to more than one building where sources of excess heat are matched with those that require it.

He says district energy is being used worldwide with about 5,000 systems in operation in the United States and about 150 throughout Canada.

Two systems are currently being operated in Kelowna according to Robinson.

Waste heat from the City of Kelowna’s Wastewater Treatment Facility is captured and used to heat a portion of Okanagan College.

At UBC Okanagan, heat from the aquifer is captured for use by the campus. These systems are owned by the institutions and have been highly successful.