Fun in the sun will have new meaning at the Courtenay Outdoor Pool, which opened for the summer on Monday May 30. Thanks to funding from FortisBC (formerly Terasen Gas), the City of Courtenay is retrofitting the pool with a solar heating system to keep the water warm.
The technology, valued at approximately $30,000, will include 16 solar panels and a high efficiency thermal pool cover. Funding for the project comes from FortisBC’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program. The retrofit will mean less reliance on the existing boiler system.
Courtenay Mayor Greg Phelps says the City feels very fortunate. “FortisBC has committed funding for the purchase and installation of the technology, as well as monitoring and verification to track its performance and energy savings. Once we demonstrate the return on investment, we think this may become a model for other projects in the rest of the province.”
The retrofit will also result in less need for chlorine, as the pool cover will reduce evaporation. The outdoor pool will be open until the end of August.
Doug Stout, FortisBC’s vice president of energy solutions and external relations says the project will help save money and energy. “We are pleased to work with customers like the City of Courtenay who demonstrate leadership in adopting energy efficient technologies,” notes Stout. “Retrofitting the pool with energy efficient solar technology will provide benefits for the residents of Courtenay for years to come, while helping to reduce the pool’s natural gas consumption by approximately 50 per cent per year.”
The retrofit design was based on a feasibility study conducted by an independent engineering firm. Their solution, a solar thermal loop combined with a thermal pool cover, demonstrated a significant reduction in natural gas consumption, plus greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced by an estimated 50 tonnes per year. These GHG emission reductions will mean an additional savings of $1,300 per year that the City would otherwise have to pay out in the form of carbon offsets.
The City of Courtenay signed onto the Province of B.C.’s Climate Action Charter in 2007, along with 178 other local governments. The City committed to reducing corporate emissions where possible, and offsetting the remaining emissions to become carbon neutral by 2012. In 2009, City Council adopted the City of Courtenay Corporate Climate Action Strategy. This strategy outlined options for reducing corporate emissions, and showed that municipal facilities were among the top emitters of greenhouse gases.
For more information, please contact Allan Gornall, the City’s climate action analyst at 250-334-4441 or email agornall@courtenay.ca
Last update :
Thursday, August 16, 2012,1:01 PM
City of Courtenay, 830 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 2J7 Tel.(250) 334-4441 Fax. (250) 334-4241