Campbell River is known for its abundant fishing opportunities, but perhaps the city’s best kept secret lies up on the roof of their civic buildings. Over the last four years, the municipality has incorporated renewable energy in construction projects and building upgrades, installing solar hot water systems on their Fire hall, RCMP office, beach washroom facilities and Sportsplex. No small feat for the modest-sized city on Vancouver Island with its wet coastal climate.
“People are really excited and interested,” says Sustainability Manager Amber Zirnhelt, referring to the feedback the city has received. Eye-catching signs posted at facilities showcase which system has been installed and how it works. Tours of the system at the Sportsplex have also been popular with the local residents. “We’ve been able to talk about how solar hot water is viable in our climate, and that despite clouds or rain we’re able to demonstrate that it’s working.”
To take this a step further, the city is currently working on an interactive educational display for the Sportsplex. It will allow visitors to review energy-savings data from a soon-to-be-installed monitor. This exhibit will complement the building’s already prominent collector system.”The Sportsplex is neat because the collectors are very visible on the roof,” says Amber. “People can see it, and that gets them thinking. Public awareness of those collectors is great.”
The city took advantage of grant funding that’s no longer available, but that shouldn’t get in the way of future opportunities because the city is on the lookout for other grants and opportunities. She adds they are currently looking into some sewage heat recovery systems in the downtown core and a potential wind partnership with a local school. Without grant funding, the challenge will be to demonstrate that a renewable energy system will be a good investment economically, despite the initial upfront cost.
“We just need to look at buildings that are the biggest consumers of hot water,” she says. “Swimming pools, sports complexes, fire halls, or community centres with highly-used kitchen facilities are good candidates. As long as they’re heated by natural gas, an argument can usually be made, economically and environmentally.”
The other key focus for Campbell River is to show, not just tell. “We want to lead by example and demonstrate to the community that there are renewable energy solutions to help reduce our carbon footprint.” She adds that the renewable energy installations also fit with the city’s Carbon Neutral Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at city facilities.