With the help of just under $12-million in provincial funding, Western University is taking steps to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions at its campus.
The university has been awarded $11.6-million from the Education Ministry's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program, which will go towards renovations at the campus. The upgrades will allow Western to recover waste heat from its power plant and use it in other buildings, while shifting from steam to low-temperature heating systems in two buildings -- Spencer Engineering and the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavillion.
"Once this project is completed, heat recovery technology and renewable energy systems will be integrated throughout our campus, dramatically reducing our future carbon emissions," said Paul Martin, Western's director of business operations.
The renovations have the potential to reduce the amount of steam required for heating and reducing the amount of natural gas used for generating steam as well as chilled water.
"These environmental investments will result in a 12% reduction in emissions from our 2016 levels at an estimated cost savings of $1.5-million annually," said Lynn Logan, Western's vice president of operations and finance.
The university said construction at the Spencer Engineering Building will begin in July and is expected to be completed in March of 2019.
Western was one of eight universities that will benefit from a total of $85.2-million, which was made available by the province through a competitive application process.
