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Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff
By Abby Zieverink
Combined heat and power

Eastlink Centre CHP unit creating significant cost savings, emissions reduction

Nov 24, 2021 | 1:10 PM

Roughly $240,000 has been saved since the installation of a combined heat and power unit at the Eastlink Centre in April 2021, according to city officials.

An update on the CHP unit was shared Tuesday from administration at the Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee meeting.

The savings on heat and power dates back to the full commission of the unit, which was roughly seven months ago.

City of Grande Prairie Energy & Environmental Services Manager Michelle Gairdner says such savings are not necessarily a great comparison to what the city is expecting annually to save on heat and power, as the building was not working at full capacity due to the pandemic.

“It wasn’t working fully open like it is now, so it is really hard to compare. We would have to go back to 2019 before we can start comparing any energy efficiencies saved because 2020 and 2021 are not real operating years,” she said.

“So, we will look at 2021 but, our first really good look at savings will be at the end of 2022.”

She says the hope is to save $275,000 annually on heat and power by using the CHP unit.

“The primary goal is how can we save money, and creating energy efficiencies is generally… the best way.”

The unit creates efficiencies by combining the heat and power to save money, and Gairdner says it utilizes natural gas to generate energy and preheat the pool.

“Which is cheaper, and then we’re still saving on natural gas in that the water in the boiler systems are being pre-heated so the boilers are not actually working and didn’t start working until sometime mid-November.”

Gairdner says while saving money with these efficiencies, they are also able to lower the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions, which helps the city get closer to its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent.

Since April, the CHP unit has cut roughly 2,500 tonnes worth of emissions.

With the lifespan of the CHP unit being roughly 25 years, Gairdner says the goal is to save 25 hundred tonnes of emissions in each of the unit’s 25 years at the facility.

“That’s the goal, and again it’s going to depend on what the electricity system looks like because that’s our comparator. That’s where we are saving the money,” she said.

A real-time dashboard can be viewed on the City of Grande Prairie website on how the CHP unit is operating, which includes real-time data on the heat produced, gas consumption, electricity produced, and the demand on boilers at the Eastlink Centre.

“Right now we have five boilers on the system and only two are being used, and it gives you an idea, that says it’s the same as removing 4,338 cars off the road using this system,” explained Gairdner.

The CHP dashboard can be found here.

by Abby Zieverink