Funding Announcement

Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced ­support towards rehabilitating infrastructure at the Fernwood Community Centre on January 22nd, 2013. Photo: Mila Czemerys

 

Fernwood Community Centre to receive new heating system which will improve air ­quality and increase energy savings

Jonathan Hill
Published February 2013
Village Vibe Newspaper

 

In 2012, the City of Victoria applied to the Western Economic Diversification ­Canada’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) for partial ­support of two Capital Plan Projects.

 

The City of Victoria has received $144,600 in CIIF funding from ­Western Economic Diversification Canada to replace the heating and venting system at the Fernwood Community Centre and for electrical repairs at the Crystal Pool and ­Fitness Centre. The City of Victoria will match this funding to carry out the ­projects.

These two facilities play key roles in ­providing great recreational, social and ­fitness opportunities for ­Fernwoodians, who will benefit from the planned ­improvements.

 

Last year, the Government of Canada announced a Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF). The purpose of the fund is to support the rehabilitation or improvement of existing community infrastructure that is non-commercial and accessible to the public, such as community centres, recreational buildings, local arenas, cultural and other community facilities.

 

The current HVAC (heating) system at the Fernwood Community Centre is more than 30 years old. Heating upgrades will result in improved air quality and ­significant energy savings. The work will consist of replacing old, malfunctioning electrical controls and the electric ­heating system with a new heat pump system and electronic controls. Inefficient ­baseboard heaters will be removed and a new ­air-source heat pump will be installed. Heat pumps are generally two to four times more ­efficient than baseboards in Victoria’s ­climate.

Heating controls will be upgraded to include motion sensors and programmable timers so that the heat is on when the ­building is occupied, where it’s occupied, rather than in areas that are empty.

The Fernwood Community Centre has particularly high energy use per square foot when compared to other ­community ­centres. By installing a new heat pump and upgrading the heating control ­system, the facility will become one of the most ­efficient community centre buildings ­overnight.

Currently, approximately two-thirds of the energy use in the building is for ­heating, and one-third is for lighting. The facility uses just over 200,000 kilowatt hours/year (enough to power 20 homes where the average home uses 10,000 ­kilowatt hours/year).

It is estimated that the upgrades will halve the energy use related to heating the Fernwood Community Centre. As a result, annual operating savings on ­electricity are anticipated to be 68,000 kw/year—or 31%— and will save the City of Victoria $6,000/year. The cost of the work will be approximately $102,900. With Western Economic Diversification Canada ­covering 50% of the project cost, the return on investment for the City of Victoria will be six to eight years. The heating upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of May 2013.

Everyone who uses the ­Fernwood ­Community Centre will be able to breathe easier with the new HVAC system.

 

© Copyright 2013