Canadian telecommunications company Telus is building a $750-million residential and commercial complex in downtown Vancouver, BC, and is going to heat and cool the new Telus Garden development with waste heat from its own nearby data center.
The Telus Garden development is comprised of a LEED Platinum 24-story office tower, a LEED Gold 53-story residential tower with more than 425 homes, and retail space.
Vancouver, BC, utility FortisBC is partnering with Telus and real estate developer Westbank to create a regulated district energy system for Telus Garden. The system will use waste heat from an adjacent data center and the new office tower’s cooling system to heat and cool the new development. The harvested waste heat will also heat domestic hot water for both towers.
The district energy system is a major element of Telus Garden’s sustainability strategy and contributes to the development’s nearly 80 percent reduction in energy demand from conventional sources.
The British Columbia Utilities Commission has approved the construction of the Telus district energy system by the partnership, and for FortisBC to own and operate the energy system once commissioned.
When complete, Telus Garden will use at least 30 percent less energy than a standard development its size through the use of innovative technologies and practices, transferring excess heat from one building to another as needed, using solar panels to power some infrastructure, and capturing rainwater for toilets and garden irrigation. Located adjacent to Sky Train, there will be facilities for bicycles and charging stations for electric cars.
The office tower is scheduled for final occupancy in June of 2014, with the residential building scheduled for final occupancy in May of 2015.
