CREIT

HH Angus was engaged to conduct a feasibility study for a Low Carbon District Energy Plant serving a new, three million square foot mixed use residential and commercial development along Bloor Street in Toronto.

The full development is being implemented in several stages over ten years. HH Angus provided Prime Consultant and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering services, and developed a conceptual framework for the study.

The study considered a combination of traditional and renewable energy sources to provide heating and cooling, reviewing a range of options that included the following:

• Condensing hot water boilers, efficiency up to 90-95%
• Centrifugal water-cooled magnetic bearing chillers
• Water source heat pumps (heat recovery chillers) to provide simultaneous cooling and heating
• Air source heat pumps to provide simultaneous cooling and heating
• Ground source heat pump system
• Ambient loop system
• Sewer heat recovery system
• Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system to generate power using a gas-fired generator and to provide heat using waste engine heat, with overall generator efficiency up to 80%. CHP can be used as backup power source and to reduce energy cost during periods of peak cooling and electrical demand.

HH Angus conducted calculations of estimated heating, cooling and electrical loads, plus energy consumption for future development, establishing options for the arrangement of the District Energy plant, including provision for expansion to provide heating and cooling to future developments in the neighbourhood.

Our study scope also included tentative District Energy plant layout and area requirements, capital budget, operating costs and NPV estimates for each option, as well as analysis of results and corresponding recommendations.