It’s hard to believe after the winter just past that a Calgary building is going up without the benefit of what would be called today a traditional heating system. Bow Valley College (BVC) has designed and is building such a structure. A historic agreement between the college and ENMAX will see the college’s new South Campus, slated for completion in 2012, heated entirely by the new
ENMAX District Energy Centre (DEC).
This 25-year contract with Bow Valley College demonstrates ENMAX’s commitment to district energy in Calgary.
“An energy transfer station installed at Bow Valley College will be connected with our District Energy Centre through a series of underground pipes,” said Charles Ruigrok, interim President and CEO, ENMAX Corporation. “Water is heated by natural gas at our facility, transferred to the college at high temperatures before being sent back to us and re-circulated. This closed loop system is more efficient than many traditional heating methods making it both environmentally and financially more resourceful.”
In 2009, BVC began construction of its South Campus, which will double the college’s capacity to 20,000 learners per year.
“Doubling the college’s student capacity no longer means we have to double its environmental impact or its energy costs,” said Sharon Carry, President and CEO, Bow Valley College.
“This agreement continues the college’s commitment to environmental stewardship while making good use of taxpayer money through reduced heating and maintenance expenses. Between the construction of both our North Campus and South Campus, we have significantly reduced the carbon footprint of both buildings and have saved tons of material from entering landfills.”
This announcement comes on the heels of BVC winning the imagineCALGARY Partner in Action Award for its contributions to the long-term sustainability of the City of Calgary.
Operational in March 2010, ENMAX’s DEC was recently recognized by the Government of Canada for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air contaminants. It can heat up to 10 million sq. ft. of office and residential space, an integral element to the development of Calgary’s East Village and one more step in the overall plan to provide more efficient and lower greenhouse gas-emitting heat and electricity generation in Alberta. The City of Calgary was the first to connect to ENMAX's DEC, opting to use district energy instead of replacing their aging conventional boilers in the municipal building. ENMAX is working with several downtown building owners to replace old, less efficient boilers with more efficient district energy.
About ENMAX Corporation
ENMAX Corporation, through subsidiaries and predecessors, has provided Albertans with safe and reliable electricity for more than 100 years. ENMAX Corporation provides electricity, natural gas and value-added services to more than 660,000 residential, commercial and industrial metered customer locations in Alberta. ENMAX Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of ENMAX Corporation, is Alberta’s leading competitive electricity retailer. Through subsidiaries, ENMAX Energy is one of Alberta’s largest investors in renewable energy and was the first Canadian electricity retailer to offer customers the option to support wind generated energy. As well, ENMAX Corporation, through its subsidiary ENMAX Envision Inc., provides fibre optic networks for high speed data and internet communications.
About Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College – Calgary and region’s One and Only Comprehensive Community College – with more than 11,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in health and business career training, adult upgrading, and English as a Second Language. BVC’s Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), workplace training for immigrant professionals, and employment services provide a wide range of services for businesses and professionals. Established in 1965, Bow Valley College is in the midst of a multi-million dollar expansion, creating state-of-the-art facilities and doubling its student capacity by the year 2013.
Note: A webcast of the media announcement on March 24, 2011 can be viewed at
http://bowvalleycollege.tv/.
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