ROADMAP TO NET ZERO INDOOR SWIMMING POOL FACILITIES
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Canadian municipalities have set aggressive targets to reach net zero emissions, leading by example and moving from commitments to action.
The Mayors’ Megawatt Challenge (MMC) is supporting municipalities in achieving their greenhouse gas reduction goals by initiating a 9-month pilot project focused on developing actionable plans to reduce energy use and emissions in municipal indoor pool facilities. Working together, an integrated team of municipalities (energy managers, facility managers, building operators, procurement, finance, asset managers), leading industry experts, consultants and researchers will determine the most effective net zero design, implementation plan and support needed to get the individual indoor pool facilities to net zero.
Our team is currently recruiting more municipalities to participate in this project. If you are interested in participating or want to learn more, contact program manager, Kathryn Wilson at kwilson@climatechallengenetwork.org or 416-915-1530 Ext: 201.
This pilot builds off the Roadmap to Net Zero Ice Rinks: From Technical Solutions to Practical Implementation pilot in which MMC partnered with seven municipalities in southern Ontario and technical experts across Canada to study how to achieve net zero carbon in nine existing community centres with indoor ice rinks. This cohort study, partially funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), developed an achievable and financially feasibility pathway to net zero for each participating ice rink by 2050, as well as recommendations and lessons learned for other ice rinks to achieve similar outcomes. This pilot was so successful that FCM and the participating municipalities requested an additional pilot for indoor swimming pool facilities, another building type with high greenhouse gas emissions and large reduction opportunities.
This initiative is sponsored by:
What do municipalities get by joining this project?
Deliverables: net zero indoor pool facility design, implementation plan and support
Working with experts and in consultation with municipal staff, the MMC team will develop a net zero feasibility study for each indoor pool facility that will lay out the costs and technical specifications for each facility through the four strategies to get to net zero: energy efficiency, heat recovery, renewables, and local credits.
1. Customized design for your participating pool facility: Customized technical solutions will be developed for each participating facility. Each solution will include an outline of potential measures and lifecycle financial analysis for each measure using an incremental, over time approach. This will be contrasted with a “business as usual” approach modelling the results using like for like replacement of equipment. The solutions will be aligned with the municipality’s timelines, targets, urgency in getting to net zero, capital renewal timelines and asset management plans.
2. Standard measures applicable to any indoor pool: A list of standard measures will be developed based on all participating pools that can be scaled and applied to other pools.
3. Support for implementation: The team will work collectively with other municipal stakeholders, such as procurement, asset managers, and building operators, to identify and address potential obstacles to implementing the net zero design and develop solutions.
