Three Brennan Park Recreation Centre projects proposed for the 2016 budget could help the district reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 30 tonnes per year.
“We’re quite excited,” said Camilla Say, District of Squamish facilities manager.
All three projects relate to upgrading gas-fired equipment at the centre.
One involves replacing the arena’s hot water tank with a new system called REALice, which uses cold water.
“All the other rinks in B.C. and Canada that have used this have raved about it,” said Say, adding the new system also creates a better ice surface.
The system costs $40,000 and would save 28 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) per year, she said. “It’s a massive savings.”
Another proposal is to replace the 20-year old gas furnace that heats the six dressing rooms at the centre with electric heaters mounted in the ceilings.
“Right now there is one furnace that is on whenever there are people playing. These electrical units would heat the rooms to a certain low level and then as soon as [the rooms] are occupied, they would come on, and instantly, the room would be warm,” said Say. “They are way more efficient.” The heaters are estimated to save 0.3 of a tonne of greenhouse gases per year, according to Say, and would cost a total of $17,500.
New controls for the dehumidifier at the back of the arena would allow it to be better programmed so when the rink wasn’t being used, it wouldn’t operate.
“It will sense whether anybody is in the arena,” explained Say. “[This] will prolong the life of the unit.”
Another piece of equipment to add to the dehumidifier would recycle the warm air from the unit. The two new controls would save half a tonne of greenhouse gases per year, according to Say, and would cost $22,000.
The $79,500 will come from the district’s carbon neutral reserve fund, Say noted.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said the three projects are part of the district’s larger goal to become carbon neutral.
“We’ve made a commitment this year to go carbon neutral and challenged staff to come back with real reductions,” she said. “It is those simple things you can do that are likely part of the process that you need to do anyway.”
The three upgrades can be done when the arena’s slab is replaced next year, she said.
Heintzman said the district has to offset 803 tonnes of GHGs per year. Carbon offsets cost about $30 per tonne.
“So we have to offset 803 tonnes,” she said, “which is about $20,000 a year.”
One of the things that has held local governments back in becoming carbon neutral is that the offset money paid out by municipalities doesn’t stay in the community. Heintzman said a meeting is planned for this month to bring together Squamish service groups and other entities to create a community carbon-offsetting program.
“The idea is the local entities here, we create this localized carbon economy completely legitimized and certified like any other carbon offset in the world and then our local monies can go right back into the local economy,” she said.
