Burnaby is exploring the development of a District Energy Utility (DEU) that, once established, would take clean thermal energy captured from Metro Vancouver’s Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility to provide heat and hot water to Burnaby homes and businesses.
“Burnaby is making bold moves on climate action and creating our own District Energy Utility will deliver huge carbon reductions, while at the same time delivering a safe, reliable, resilient and affordable heating to local buildings,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “These are the kinds of innovative solutions we need as we move to circular economy and forge a path to a carbon neutral future.”
Approximately 38 per cent of carbon emissions in Burnaby come from buildings. By using the captured heat from the WTE facility, replacing carbon intensive fuels like natural gas, the city anticipates reducing the equivalent of 22,400 tonnes of CO2 annually.
The city intends to begin by introducing the service in the Metrotown and Edmonds neighbourhoods, where almost half of Burnaby’s residential growth over the next 20 years is expected to occur.
“Metro Vancouver is dedicated to climate action and we’re looking forward to adding the Metrotown and Edmonds neighbourhoods to our district energy system, which will provide heat and hot water powered by our Waste-to-Energy Facility,” said chair George V. Harvie. “Making better use of our available energy resources will help us achieve our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral region by 2050, while providing a sustainable heat source for homes and businesses.”
Later this year, the city will finalize the District Energy Policy that will outline requirements for new buildings in these areas to be connected to the District Energy Utility, as well as opportunities for existing buildings to connect to the system. The city aims to begin providing district energy service in Metrotown and Edmonds in 2026.
Burnaby is already home to district energy systems at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Solo District and Burnaby Central Secondary School.
