Energy retrofits to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions at City Hall

Vancouver City Hall is currently undergoing renovations to improve its energy efficiency and to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the City of Vancouver's corporate operations.

The energy-saving retrofits include lighting upgrades, replacement of the 1936 boiler, cooling system improvements, building automation system upgrades and water conservation measures. When completed, these improvements will result in:

• An annual reduction of 320 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions -- an 18 per cent decrease from 1990 levels (equivalent to removing 62 cars from the road)

• Savings of approximately $120,756 annually (based on current utility rates)

• Electrical energy savings of 1,148,278 kilowatt hours annually (a 19 per cent reduction)

• Natural gas savings of 4,196 gigajoules annually (a 31 per cent reduction)

• Water savings of 15,080 cubic metres.

"This is an important step in the ongoing process of making our City operations more environmentally sustainable," said Mayor Sam Sullivan. "City Council and City Staff are committed to doing our part to address the global climate change crisis."

Buildings undergoing renovation include the main City Hall building at 453 West 12th Avenue, the East Wing (2675 Yukon Street), and the West 10th Annex (515 West 10th Avenue). Construction waste generated during the project will be recycled.

Similar projects for the City of Vancouver's other corporate facilities, including the Park Board, will be presented to City Council in 2007.

The renovations are one of the steps outlined in the City of Vancouver's Corporate Climate Change Action Plan, which has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from corporate operations to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010 (about 9,000 tonnes).

The City of Vancouver has contracted Ameresco Canada as its energy service company for these renovations, which finish in December. Ameresco Canada will implement the $1.82 million project and has guaranteed a positive financial return through reduced utility costs.

http://vancouver.ca/sustainability

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