Aquatic Centre

Condensate Heat Recovery Project

UBC helped FortisBC to pilot its Commercial Custom Design Program – Retrofit Projects initiative in 2012. The program helps natural gas customers like UBC by providing funding for a detailed energy study, and for capital upgrades needed to reduce natural gas consumption.

The UBC Aquatic Centre participated in the pilot by implementing a condensate heat recovery project. The pool’s heating equipment was modified to salvage waste heat from the UBC steam distribution system’s condensate return. Thanks to the retrofit, the Aquatic Centre now harvests waste steam condensate from neighbouring buildings to heat the centre’s indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Project Results

By the end of 2014, the condensate heat recovery project had already reduced over 17,000 gigajoules (GJ) of natural gas. The environmental payoff has also been significant. The project has:

  • Reduced carbon emissions by 882 tonnes—the equivalent of taking 188 cars off the road
  • Saved three swimming pools’ worth of water (7.6 million litres)
  • Improved the Aquatic Centre’s energy efficiency

Beginning in 2015, UBC’s new LEED® Platinum Student Union Building (SUB) will also make use of the Aquatic Centre’s condensate heat recovery system.

Aquatic Centre

Aquatic Centre

Condensate Heat Recovery System

Condensate Heat Recovery System