The BC Insulators and the BC Building Trades attended the QUEST Community Energy Symposium at the new Anvil Centre in New Westminster. There were some interesting presentations and round tables with the focus of attention on District Energy Systems.
QUEST stands for Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow, and is “a collaborative network of stakeholders who are actively working to make Canada a leader in the design, development and implementation of smart energy communities”.
Key players in the Sustainability field were on hand, including David Ramslie (Integral Group), Emilie Adin (City of North Vancouver), Innes Hood (Home Owner Protection Office, Stantec), Andrew Pape-Salmon( RDH Building Engineering), and Orion Henderson (UBC Sustainability Director).
There were a wide variety of presentations on topics ranging from, new energy provisions of the Building Code, integrated land use planning and a round table on fostering dialogue between developers and local government.
There have been a number of District Energy success stories including, Lonsdale Energy System, False Creek Sewage Heat Recovery District Energy System. There are plans and infrastructure underway for a system in the River District of South Vancouver using heat recovered from Burnaby’s garbage incinerator.
A conversion is underway of the steam heating system at the University of BC to upgrade from steam to hot water, supported by the new biomass plant. A District Energy System is also being designed to be supported by a biomass plant at the BC Institute of Technology fuel by “e gas” from wood waste from carpentry department.
– by Neil Munro, Vice-President