UBC Okanagan is installing the largest air-source heat pump of its kind in North America, which will provide 30 per cent of the campus’s heating. The technology happens to be homegrown.
The system was designed, built and installed by Vitalis Equipment Technology Inc., a Kelowna-based clean-tech manufacturer founded by UBCO alumni James Seabrook.
“It’s coming full circle,” said Seabrook.
Seabrook says the technology works very much like heat pumps found in some homes.
“Fundamentally, they’re exactly the same. This is an air-source heat pump. It’s just operating at a much bigger scale, and it’s operating with a natural refrigerant. So we’re using CO2, carbon dioxide, inside these pipes, instead of a synthetic gas, like what would be in a conventional air conditioning unit or domestic heat pump.”
The project partners didn’t say how much the new system costs, but admit it’s a 20 to 30 per cent premium over conventional heating and cooling systems.
The Vitalis Coolshift system is projected to cut campus emissions by 850 tonnes annually, replacing much of the natural gas currently used for heating, while also providing auxiliary cooling in the summer.
“This project meets our new growth demands for heating and cooling. It also decarbonizes our system. It’s a sustainable system. We’re not using forever chemicals in the system,” said Colin Richardson, head of UBCO’s energy team.
The system is also designed to be scalable, allowing it to expand alongside campus growth and adapt to future energy demands. Richardson said they plan to expand from 1.5 megawatts to 2.5 megawatts in the coming years.
The new system will also help UBCO reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
