McGill Reporter
Summary
Tucked away behind the McCall MacBain Arts Building, largely out of sight and out of mind, is the second-largest heating plant on the island of Montreal. Boilers in the Ferrier Building’s powerhouse generate steam that is circulated through a network of tunnels to heat most of the buildings on the downtown campus.
These boilers, fuelled by natural gas, have accounted for about 65 per cent of the greenhouse-gas emissions generated by the University’s buildings; about two-thirds of McGill’s GHG emissions come from its buildings’ energy use.
But that is about to change.
McGill is reducing its carbon footprint by installing two new electric boilers. Delivered to the McGill campus this past fall and expected to go into operation in the coming months, they are part of a $33 million project financed primarily by the Quebec government, with additional support from the government of Canada. The project also includes the installation of heat-recovery systems on the two large natural-gas boilers that will remain in operation. A third large natural gas boiler was removed to make room for the two new electric boilers, while a smaller one, used mainly in the summer for lab sterilization needs and domestic hot water, will remain in use.
“This boiler project is one key part of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040,” said François Miller, McGill’s Executive Director of Sustainability.
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