The Energy Services Acquisition Program: stage 1  

Following the Paris Agreement on climate change, the department's Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP) received significant funding in the 2016 budget to update the district energy system and help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions our buildings produce.

In June of 2019, ESAP contracted Innovate Energy to modernize the way the federal government heats and cools buildings in the National Capital Region. The main goal of the 35-year contract is to make the energy system more efficient and environmentally friendly. The contract includes an investment to modernize the district energy system, to be completed by 2025, as well as the system's operation and maintenance for the following 30 years.

The district energy system currently heats 80 buildings and cools 67 buildings, including the Parliament buildings, through 5 central heating and cooling plants (CHCP). These 5 plants deliver heating and cooling to the buildings through service tunnels, buried piping and bridge crossings. By the end of stage 1, there will be 4 remaining CHCPs and 1 decommissioned CHCP:

• the Cliff plant, which will be newly built
• the Tunney's Pasture plant, which will be newly built
• the National Printing Bureau plant, which will be newly built
• the Confederation Heights plant, which will be renovated
• the National Research Council plant, which will be decommissioned

Innovate Energy will fully update the district energy system's heating and cooling methods. All buildings will also be equipped with Smart Buildings technology to monitor their energy efficiency.

By investing in more efficient heating and cooling technology, the department will reduce operating costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This move toward a low-carbon future is an opportunity for Canada to protect the environment and act on climate change. In addition, these efforts will significantly help the Government of Canada reach its greening targets for 2030 and 2050.

The District Energy System

Getting started

Some work began in 2019, but as Innovate Energy prepared to start the stage 1 construction, the pandemic hit. Determined to make sure there were no delays, Innovate Energy implemented the applicable health and safety measures from the local health authorities on their work sites.

Working together, Innovate Energy and the ESAP team managed to keep the project on track. To date, 56 buildings connected to the district energy system have been equipped with Smart Buildings technology, and renovations have started in all 80 buildings, with the work finished in 3 of them.

Despite the initial challenges, the first year of stage 1 was still a success. So successful, that the ESAP won 5 different awards for their work:

• IJGlobal 2019 North America, the Utility Deal of the Year
• 2020 District Energy Space Awards in North America (PDF, 4.0MB), the Largest Number of Buildings Committed Gold Award
• 2020 District Energy Space Awards in North America, the Total Building Area Committed Gold Award
• 2020 National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in P3s, the Project Development Gold Award
• P3 Awards 2020, the Public Sector Promoter/Procurer of the Year

There is still more work to do and certainly more challenges ahead, but the good news is that stage 1 is still on track for completion by October 2025. In the coming year, the ESAP will:

• start construction on the National Printing Bureau plant
• refine the design of the Cliff plant to include installations that honour Algonquin history, heritage and culture
• finalize the plan to add the Ottawa Public Library as the first new client of the modernized district energy system

For more information on how Public Services and Procurement Canada plans to make federal buildings more environmentally friendly, check out the greener federal buildings web page. For any questions related to the ESAP, you can contact Real Property Services directly.