An upcoming project at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario project will include the installation of a new energy recovery system and re-engineering of its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Two new heat pumps will also reduce energy consumption from natural gas-fired boilers. These changes are aimed to recover and reuse heat waste,  improve efficiency of the hospital’s systems and reduce emissions.

The federal government recently announced a $1-million investment through the Low Carbon Economy Fund for the facility’s deep energy retrofit program.

In an average year, the hospital emits more than 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The upgrades will lower overall GHG emissions by over 2,500 tonnes per year, the equivalent of about 600 homes’ energy use for one year.

“Spending less on energy now means we can spend more on patient care,” said Alex Munter, president and CEO of the hospital. “And reducing emissions for good will pay dividends far into the future.”