Nearly 325,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
That's the potential amount of savings on the table for a new energy reduction project at Douglas College's Coquitlam campus that began last month to help meet B.C.'s greenhouse gas emission goals in the next decade.
At an estimated $22 million, the entire envelope exterior of the campus' A/B building will see new features and amenities meant to promote cleaner, more sustainable energy by 2024.
In a statement to the Tri-City News, Douglas College says the majority of the funds are coming from B.C.'s ministry of advanced education and skills training.
"As a leading post-secondary institution, Douglas College is active in our responsibility to provide environmental leadership," explains Kayoko Takeuchi, CFO and vice-president of administrative services at the post-secondary institution.
"We are committed to pursuing initiatives that demonstrably reduce the College’s environmental impact like this envelope renovation at our Coquitlam Campus."
Larger windows are set to be one of the building's more prominent replacements as Douglas College explains they'll allow for more natural lighting to reduce heating, cooling and ventilation usage.
Its statement further reads aluminum composite panels will act as a longer-lasting material.
Some of the others replacements and additions to the building include the following:
- Walls
- Canopies
- Rain screen cladding system
- Better insulation
- Solar Shading
"Public post-secondary institutions throughout this province offer world-class education, and the investments they make in their campus infrastructure enhances the learning experience beyond measure," says B.C. advanced education minister Anne Kang.
"This work at Douglas College will make the spaces more comfortable to learn in, better for the environment and more efficient to operate. That’s good news for students, staff and faculty now and in the future."
Work has already begun on the building's third floor and construction will make its way down to the lower levels.
The project's final phase will focus on the Coquitlam campus' daycare, atrium and interior courtyards.
