British Columbia Institute of Technology
IN-49: Innovation C

The data centre heat recovery project at the Downtown Campus reuses heat generated by the IT data centre to heat other areas of the building, including the new renovations on the second floor. This project reduced GHG emissions by approximately 30% at the Downtown Campus and has improved resiliency of the data centre.

Heat recovery projects to implement heat recovery chillers, recover heat from exhaust air, and/or recover heat from data centres were identified as a key opportunity for decarbonization in retrofit projects. In fact, after electrification of the Burnaby campus and construction of high performance all-electric new builds, building level eletrification and heat recovery in existing buildings is a top priority for emissions reduction at BCIT.  

The Downtown Campus heat recovery project serves as an example of how to implement this prioritized project type and offers tangible lessons for all future heat recovery projects at BCIT. The project has also created a Living Lab opportunity to teach students in BCIT's building science, mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, computer science, and other related programs about the impacts of IT infrastructure on building operations, energy use, and greenhous gas emissions and the importance of identifying synergies to reduce these impacts. It also highlights more broadly the importance of retrofit projects in meeting climate targets and how BCIT's specialized trades and technical programs fills the skills gap in delivering these solutions.

https://www.bcit.ca/facilities/facilities-services/energy-greenhouse-gas-management/