The Calgary Downtown District Energy Centre located at 9th Avenue and 4 Street SE began operations in March 2010 providing heat to its first customer, the City Municipal building. This heat generating facility is capable of providing heat for up to 10 million square feet of new and existing residential and commercial buildings.

The facility incorporates high efficiency boilers fueled by natural gas. Customers are connected to the facility through an underground pressurized thermal distribution system.  This closed loop pipe system delivers hot water, typically around 250 degrees Fahrenheit, to the customer’s building. The return water temperature of the system is around 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

By installing district energy in the municipal hall, The City of Calgary will not have to replace its aging boiler system, consisting of 7 space heating boilers.  Not only is this a significant cost saving, it is a worry-free heating system that is delivered to their door. The hot water piping system is connected to the customers own energy transfer station in their building.  This station is the heat exchange interface between the district energy piping system and the customers’ heating systems.  The energy station occupies significantly less space than a traditional heating system.

The Calgary Downtown District Energy Centre is a unique, modern 23,000 square foot facility integral to the city’s plans to rebuild the East Village into one of Calgary’s most sustainable communities.

The $31.8 million project is funded in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Alberta, and The City of Calgary. The project was made possible through the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CAMRIF).  CAMRIF is a partnership among the federal, provincial and municipal governments. Over the programs' life, CAMRIF will direct at least $321 million in federal, provincial and municipal funding to enhance municipal infrastructure and improve Albertans' quality of life through investments that protect the environment and support long-term economic growth. For further information on CAMRIF, click here.