A zero emissions air source heat pump has been installed in Vancouver's city hall building — a move that’s meant to help the city meet its overall target to reduce corporate carbon emissions by 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020.
The heat pump will provide year-round climate control, improve energy efficiency and improve building air quality for occupants, according to an April 24 news release from the city.
It works using the same principle as a refrigerator — extracting heat from the outside air and transferring it to the inside to warm the building. It can also cool the inside environment by reversing this process.
“Electrical heat pumps, like the one recently installed at City Hall, saves energy and reduces carbon pollution by using renewable electricity as an energy input and being highly efficient,” the news release states. “By the end of 2019, the heat pump is expected to have reduced greenhouse gases by 34 per cent annually and is projected to save $20,000 each year through energy cost savings.”
According to the City of Vancouver, the tender price for the installation of an air cooled chiller, which would have constituted a regular like-for-like replacement, was $396,000.
The city paid an additional $138,000 for the Air Source Heat Pump equipment and installation, adding DHW (domestic hot water) preheat, piping, and controls.
The equipment’s service life is expected to be 15 to 20 years. The city says maintenance and operating costs are insignificant because the manufacturer will perform important equipment maintenance during the first years, while other routine maintenance will be carried out by city staff.
Buildings are the largest source of emissions in Vancouver, producing more than half of the city’s total emissions each year.
“We are committed to maintaining and upgrading all City-run facilities — especially older buildings like City Hall— so they’re clean, green, and energy-efficient,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said in the press release. “Buildings produce over half of Vancouver’s total emissions and we need leadership at both the public and private level to reach our target of being a 100 per cent renewably powered city by 2050.”
The city hosted a press conference Tuesday to highlight the installation of the heat pump and explain how private sector businesses such as QualReal Property Group are also adopting green technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency.
