At 1.1M ft², Lakeridge Health Oshawa is the largest hospital serving the Durham Region in Ontario and home to the world-class R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre. In line with its sustainability values, the hospital wanted to decarbonize and improve its energy efficiency while tackling its aging assets. To support this goal, it applied for and was awarded the Low Carbon Economy Challenge (LCEC) fund in 2022. To receive funding, the project has to be completed by March 31, 2025, and achieve annual GHG emissions reduction of 3,530 t CO2e or more. Lakeridge needed a partner that would guarantee the timeline and GHG reduction.
Ecosystem proposed the Lakeridge Health Electrification and Decarbonization (LHEAD) project, which guarantees the timeline, GHG emissions reduction, and energy and cost savings with minimal disruption to critical hospital activities. Project LHEAD carefully groups decarbonization measures that complement each other and provides rate resilience and operational flexibility. The main measure is a heat recovery chiller that will provide simultaneous heating and cooling year-round by tying into the existing hot water and chilled water networks. Additional summer heating loads will be added to the loop in the form of domestic hot water pre-heating. An interior lighting retrofit will reduce the peak electrical load and consumption year-round and a new off-peak electric steam boiler will offset steam production from the gas boilers when hourly electricity is cheaper, improving the electrical utilization factor without affecting electrical peak demand. The new steam boiler will also improve redundancy, operational flexibility, and allow for future hospital expansion.
Heat recovery chiller
Conversion to Class A rate tariff
Off-peak electric steam boiler
Peal shaving using existing cogeneration equipment
LED lighting retrofit
