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Calgary adopts district energy to combat carbon emissions PDF Print E-mail
Written by SEAN-PAUL BOYNTON   
Monday, 12 July 2010 10:15

A new district energy facility has opened in Calgary’s downtown core, designed to lower emissions and revolutionize the city’s heating operations.

Controlled and operated by ENMAX, and funded by all three levels of government, the Calgary Downtown District Energy Centre is part of a multi-phase district energy project that hopes to provide heat to up to 10 million square feet of new and existing commercial and residential space in the downtown core.

The facility, which was officially turned on during the grand opening event last month, is already providing heat to the city municipal building, yet plans to expand its reach to many more buildings in the coming months, including the redeveloped East Village once it’s reached completion.

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(From left) Alberta Energy Minister Ron Liepert, Mayor Dave Bronconnier and ENMAX president and CEO Gary Holden participate in the opening of the Downtown District Energy Centre on June 18.
Photo: Sean-Paul Boynton/Calgary Journal
“This project is integral to future development in the East Village, and supports municipal sustainable development by providing the basis for integrated energy planning,” said mayor Dave Bronconnier at the opening.

ENMAX president and CEO Gary Holden said almost a dozen downtown businesses are already vying for contracts that will update their existing boiler systems with connections to the facility.

The facility acts as a centralized hub through which natural gas is used to generate heat. The heat is then distributed by sending boiling water (temperatures reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit) through a series of underground pipes, which connect to a facility’s energy transfer system.

Buildings are required to have a transfer system installed in order to benefit from the service. It is currently unclear how much the installation process will cost a prospective client.

According to a study conducted by Claverton Energy Research Group in February 2007, the carbon emissions the process generates through the facility are the lowest of any other type of heat distribution system, and requires much less maintenance in the long run on the part of the consumer, as well as a lower maintenance cost.

While downtown gears up to change the way it gets its heat, questions arise as to what this could mean for the city’s suburban neighbourhoods, which add up to a much larger client base than that of the core.

“We are already looking at how we can bring this unique technology to other parts of Calgary so that the entire city can benefit,” said Holden.

“We’re currently focusing our energies on making the most of this first facility, but we do hope to see others take shape.”

Worldwide Change

Canada has begun to adopt district energy rather late in the game, compared to other countries in the world.

The technology has been around and in use since the Industrial Revolution, however only recently has it been considered for its environmental benefits.


  • In Denmark, district energy accounts for more than 60 per cent of all heating needs
  • Fifty per cent of Finland’s heating market is provided by district energy
  • Iceland holds the record for most heating needs met with district energy, with 95 per cent of all households benefitting from the service
  • In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, the district energy system is made up of 112 heat sources linked by 4,365 connection stations, providing heat to over 17 million square metres of residential and commercial space
  • District energy has enjoyed popularity in Great Britain since the end of World War II, when it was used to heat large residential areas that were built to replace war torn areas
  • The New York City steam system is the largest and oldest commercial district energy system in the world, operating steadily since March of 1882 and serving Manhattan from the Battery through to 96th Street, and accounts for the steam that can be seen rising from manholes in the city streets (made iconic in films such as Taxi Driver)

According to a promotional video released by ENMAX, the energy company has also proposed an additional energy centre in the southeast community of Bonnybrook, designed to use natural gas to generate electricity, as well as capture waste heat, which would be used by neighbouring businesses.

ENMAX hopes this facility will eventually link to the Downtown District Energy Centre.

Mike Quinn, a professor in the faculty of environmental design at the University of Calgary, said the move to district energy makes sense, and is a worthwhile change.

“I see the future’s energy distribution needs as being less centralized (referring to the current reliance on individual boilers) and more district-managed,” said Quinn.

“There’s always resistance to change, and there’s of course the possibility of additional charges at first, but people need to realize these changes and charges will pay you back eventually, both financially and ecologically.”

Construction on the $31.8-million facility is still yet to be completed, and Holden was unspecific as to how much it would cost to expand the underground pipe network throughout downtown, and what it could mean for further construction delays in the core.
 
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