Saint Mary's University is moving forward with changes to the central heating plant and distribution system to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, reduce energy use and improve infrastructure. Work will start next week on campus on replacing steam boilers at the end of their lifecycle with new hot water boilers that are more energy efficient. The new boilers will be in the Science and Vanier buildings, and the replacement project will take place over two years during summer months.
Saint Mary's conversion from steam heating to hot water heating is a critical step toward the cleaner and greener province envisioned in Nova Scotia's Sustainable Development Goals Act of 2019. This conversion will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by more than 580 tonnes a year---an amount that equals removing about 125 cars from the road---and will also create a heating system that enables future carbon reduction. This project will significantly reduce the university's carbon footprint while also addressing the need to replace a system at the end of its life cycle.
"This project is a great example of finding a way to make infrastructure changes that are both more energy and cost-efficient while also being significantly better for the environment," said Dennis Gillis, the Senior Director of Facilities Management. "As our sector looks towards the future, I expect we will see more opportunities with improved technologies to help us reduce our carbon footprint further, while also improving our campus."
In 2007, Saint Mary's reduced its carbon emissions by one third when the university became one of the early anchor clients for natural gas on peninsular Halifax. At that time, the university moved from using oil to natural gas, while keeping the same steam boilers. This project builds on that carbon reduction strategy by now replacing the boilers themselves.