The City of Delta has issued a request for proposals for the construction of a new gas absorption heat pump system at Fire Hall No. 5.
The project is to replace the existing hydronic heating system and domestic hot water system serving the 64th Avenue fire hall in North Delta, including the removal and disposal of existing boiler and domestic water heater, the supply and installation of two gas fire absorption heat pumps, two boilers, one domestic hot water tank, several unit heaters and associated ancillaries.
According to FortisBC, gas absorption heat pump technology can help commercial and industrial organizations lower annual operational costs and reduce energy use and overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
While the technology has been used in Europe for a couple of decades, it’s relatively new to the B.C. market, FortisBC notes, adding it ran a pilot program from 2019 to 2020 to test gas absorption heat pumps in seven commercial buildings across B.C.
That pilot demonstrated a 35 per cent reduction in energy use, and survey respondents all said they’d recommend the technology to others.
Delta looking at its other buildings
The City of Delta’s 2025 Financial Plan has $400,000 budgeted in an ongoing program to support greenhouse GHG emissions reduction within some civic buildings.
Funds are to be used to enable innovative GHG and energy reduction projects, which are incremental and supplemental to building and equipment upgrade projects identified within Delta’s Capital Plan, the city explains.
“The purpose of this program is to allow capital upgrades to incorporate a higher efficiency product to go beyond like-for-like replacement. The funds will be used to support upgrades to air handling units, boilers and heating systems, as well as explore a solar installation opportunity and carry out feasibility studies. Staff are reviewing possible grant or incentive funding opportunities to support the various upgrade projects,” a report notes.
The city last year announced it would receive $200,000 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund to study methods to reduce GHG emissions at various recreational and public buildings that produce the highest amount of carbon in their communities.
Another Delta staff report also noted that many successful retrofits of Delta’s buildings and measures implemented over the years within the city’s fleet resulted in the achievement of a 20 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from 2007 levels.
However, more needs to be done to continue to improve energy efficiency and further reduce GHG within Delta’s facilities, that report noted.
Buildings are Metro’s second biggest source of GHG
Meanwhile, a recent Metro Vancouver report notes buildings remain the second-largest source of regional GHG emissions and a significant source of other air pollutants that directly harm human health. Upgrading existing buildings can improve energy efficiency and provide thermal safety for residents in response to more frequent extreme heat events.
The report also notes that between 2010 and 2022, GHG emissions increased from residential buildings by 11.5 per cent, and by 20.7 per cent from commercial and industrial buildings, primarily due to more than 42,000 new gas connections in that period.
Over 80 per cent of buildings in the region will still be standing in 2050, and many will require significant retrofits in the coming years. Ideally, the upgrades will also improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions, which can improve affordability, health, as well as comfort for residents.
More local governments are adopting stronger standards for energy efficiency and GHG reduction in new construction but standards for upgrading existing buildings are lacking, the report adds.
“Despite strong progress for new construction, retrofits for existing buildings are not subject to energy or emissions standards, and many are prone to over-heating. Recognizing that building owners face high upfront costs for upgrades, many US jurisdictions have developed long-term financing programs,” the report explains.
“These programs complement building reporting and performance requirements that provide access to building data to support fair and effective policy making and set clear rules that create market certainty. A holistic policy approach can support economic growth and investments that can lower energy bills, improve air quality, and protect people - especially those most vulnerable to heat - during extreme weather like the 2021 Heat Dome.”
