TORONTO, June 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Continual is honored to announce that the Royal Hotel Decarbonization Project was awarded the prestigious Joseph M. Brillhart IDEA Innovation Award at the IDEA 2024 District Energy for Sustainable Cities conference in Orlando, Florida.

"We've made significant strides in reducing the building's emissions, eliminating 7,000 tons of CO2, and sourcing 4 MW of carbon-free heating. This award validates our efforts in advancing decarbonization.", says Philip Kennedy, President and CEO at Continual Energy Inc.

Before the decarbonization project, the building's systems used heat from a district steam loop burning natural gas, with a carbon footprint of 6,213 tCO2e. 

Together with Enwave, Continual delivered a low-carbon heating solution designed for district-connected buildings like the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. 

The project showcases an innovative approach to HVAC sustainability and efficiency. It replaced an outdated on-site central utility plant with Continual's advanced cascade heat pump system design, which connects to the Enwave district heating and cooling network. This system captures and reuses existing heat sources from the district loop to supplement building systems.

Continual provided a complete design-build solution for the decarbonization project, including modelling, conceptual design, construction management, on-site implementation, controls design, mechanical commissioning and post-project service with measurement and verification.

This project will significantly impact the industry by changing how district energy providers see their assets in this era of decarbonization, giving engineers and building owners an efficient, fiscally responsible blueprint to reduce building emissions, leveraging waste heat and district loop load diversity. 

District heat recovery is a valuable solution in retrofit and new construction applications.

• Royal York Hotel is certified by the CaGBC as meeting the Zero Carbon Building – Performance Standard 
• 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions eliminated
• 4 MW (13,650 kBtu/hr) of carbon-free building heating sourced from the Enwave District Chilled Water Loop
• 1.5 MW (5,100 kBtu/hr) of carbon-free domestic hot water production
• 6.8 MW (1,950 tons) of district cooling

Founded in 1909 as the National District Heating Association, IDEA continues to inform, connect, and advance the district energy industry worldwide. Today, the association has a membership of over 2,500 industry professionals representing more than 30 countries.

The Joseph M. Brillhart IDEA Innovation Award is presented to projects, collaborations, or programs that helped reduce energy usage, enhance efficiency, or strengthen reliability and resilience. These projects are replicable and have the potential for widespread application while producing stakeholder benefits and demonstrating the value proposition of district energy. 

This prestigious award, presented annually, recognizes innovations in four areas: ingenuity, measured success, replicability, and economic and environmental impact.

For over a decade, Continual Energy Inc. has implemented design-build services to solve complex district & building decarbonization needs. We provide complete project life-cycle solutions, including consulting, engineering, construction, automation, service, and continuous commissioning. 

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SOURCE Continual Energy Inc.