New District Energy Utility in Burnaby to Provide Affordable and Sustainable Heat to Local Homes and Businesses

Source: Burnaby Beacon, City of Burnaby

Looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint and energy bills? The City of Burnaby may have the answer. By creating its own District Energy Utility (DEU), the city aims to recycle wasted energy from Metro Vancouver’s Waste-to-Energy facility to heat homes and businesses in Burnaby. This would not only provide residents with affordable and reliable energy but also help in the fight against climate change.

A district energy system can provide thermal energy to multiple buildings through a central energy plant, rather than each building having its own furnaces or boilers. Hot water produced at the plant is transmitted 24/7 through an underground network of thermal piping, directly transferring thermal energy to the building’s heating system.

A feasibility study found that the facility generates enough energy to serve the Metrotown and Edmonds neighbourhoods, alongside the River District in Vancouver. It’s in Metrotown and Edmonds that the city intends to begin providing energy in 2026, with almost half of the city’s population growth expected to be centred around those two neighbourhoods over the next two decades.

Transitioning to the new system would replace the need for carbon-intensive fuels like natural gas, reducing the equivalent of 22,400 tonnes of CO2 annually. The move would help Burnaby get closer to its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Existing buildings would have the option to connect to the system, but it would be mandatory for new construction in the core Metrotown and Edmonds service areas. Several Burnaby communities already employ their own district energy systems, including SFU, BCIT, Solo District, and Burnaby Central Secondary School.

While some organizations have criticized the Waste-to-Energy facility for potentially producing more emissions than landfills, Metro Vancouver says it handles about 260,000 tonnes of garbage per year—enough to power 16,000 homes a year. By making better use of available energy resources, Metro Vancouver hopes to become a carbon-neutral region by 2050, while providing a sustainable heat source for homes and businesses.

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