Coquitlam Looks at a New DE System and Retrofits

The city of Coquitlam in British Columbia is reviewing a deal with Fortis BC Energy Inc. to build a district energy system for city hall, the public safety building and the City Centre Aquatic Complex, and is considering retrofitting 15 of its biggest energy-consuming buildings to cut costs and reduce its carbon footprint. Bundled with the new district heating system is a proposal by Johnson Controls LP to retrofit the 15 city buildings that consume the most energy.

The city is also setting up a reserve with $130,000 in annual funding to help pay for energy saving and GHG-reducing projects in the future. Budgeted for 2012, The City of Coquitlam Climate Action Reserve Fund will enable the city to meet its obligations under the Climate Action Charter without having to pay offsets to a third-party.

In approving the fund, council decided it made sense for the city to fund its own projects instead of paying offsets to Pacific Carbon Trust or other pre-approved third-party projects, even though the scheme means the city won’t meet the province’s definition of “carbon neutral” but will instead fall into a new category of “making progress.”