Projects on campus View

Academic District Energy System – Steam to Hot Water Conversion

Project Snapshot

Project Sponsor: UBC Energy and Water Services
Project Size: Campus-wide; 14 km pre-insulated HW pipe; 131 energy transfer stations; 52 MW HW peaking plant
Budget: $88.3 million
Occupancy: Phased to June 2016
Project Manager: UBC Project Services – Mike Champion, Aaron Mogerman and Ryan Huffman
Consultants: Kerr Wood Leidal; AME Consulting Group; FVB Energy (Feasibility study)
Project Coordinator: UBC Project Services – Kevin Phelan

Project Summary

This project addresses a fundamental need to replace aging steam infrastructure, which has reached the end of its useful life, with a more efficient hot water system. When the conversion project ends in 2015, the ADES will heat over 130 buildings, including over 800,000 square meters (8.6 million square feet) of floor space for hot air and domestic hot water.

Sustainable Features

Replacement of the existing steam heating system infrastructure with a hot water district energy system is an integral component of the strategy to achieve UBC Vancouver’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 33% by 2015. The new equipment will serve the growing campus, as well as generate approximately $5.5 million in average annual operational and energy cost savings from reduced natural gas consumption, carbon liabilities (offsets and carbon tax), maintenance, and personnel requirements.

This new energy system will also provide a platform for future UBC ‘Campus as a Living Laboratory’ demonstration projects.