Work Starts to Add 2 More Sites to Downtown Heating System
Red lines show areas of extension, linking to the existing downtown energy system infrastructure which is detailed in blue-image courtesy City of Prince George
Prince George, B.C.- Work has started on adding the Prince George Courthouse and Plaza 400 to the City of Prince George’s Downtown Energy system.
From now until October, expect some traffic disruptions either on 2nd Avenue at George, or on 5th Avenue between George and Queensway.
Crews will be working from 7am to 5 Monday to Friday. Street parking may be restricted during construction, but sidewalk use will be maintained so as not to impede access to businesses
Buildings already connected to the City’s Downtown Energy System are:
- City Hall,
- WIDC
- RCMP Building
- Civic Centre
- Art Gallery
- Four Seasons pool
- Coliseum
- Library
- Lheidli T’enneh economic development office
The project started today will cost about $450 thousand dollars.
Comments
Perhaps its time for us to get an update on the downtown energy system.
What sort of savings (if any) are we looking at now that the price of natural gas has dropped. Even using the price of gas when this project was first started it would take many, many, years to break even. Now with the low price of gas, are we actually losing money on this project??
As for the reduction is greenhouse gas emissions that were originally touted, I sincerely doubt if they ever received anything near to what they projected.
Spending another $450,000.00 may not be a good idea. In any event perhaps the City can give us an update, as to where we are with this project, including the cost of the backup gas plant at 2nd and George St.
It appears that this is about NOT burning natural gas to heat the buildings, thereby eliminating the emission of tens of tons of fine particulates into the air in the downtown area. So the price of natural gas is not the primary goal. When waste heat from another operation is used it makes a lot of sense.
Eliminate ten tones of fine particulates from burning nat. gas? I don’t think so. There’s a lot more particulate from burning waste wood than nat. gas, even with modern clean burning systems.
The price of gas was never a consideration, it was always about “fighting climate change” (roll eyes). It was acknowledged at the start that it would cost more than gas, and that’s when gas prices were higher than now.
They are not capturing “waste heat”, they are creating heat by burning waste wood with natural gas as a backup heat source
Wouldn’t mind knowing those answers either Pal. Also how efficient is this system? Are all these buldings only using this system for heating or are they using other means as well..maybe each office has a little electrical heater etc. how often is the standby system used?
What is the true cost now compared to before? But do you think we will ever get the true numbers from city hall?
Interesting, no private hookups, I guess the subsidies, read taxpayer money is not high enough yet.
When the RCMP’s new round building was built, I thought it had a “state of the art” ground source heat system? Appears it wasn’t that state of the art seeing as it is connected to the downtown energy system.
Oh well, they got their fancy anchor building for the downtown core!!
Basically its the same people pushing the energy system that renewed the lease on the Leaf that is underused and can barely make it up the hill to the glass palace in winter.
Makes one wonder?
Note that only tax payer funded buildings are included.
Early on, several privately owned building enquired as to the feasibility of tying into this heating system, but decided not to.
It was going to cost more to heat their buildings with the new jimdandy heating system, WHY?
metalman.
I would like to know how much pollution hits the air when all the burning to create the heat for all the buildings. Somehow I don’t think this will be addressed.
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