Sk'elep School of Excellence, Canada

Based in Kamloops, in the traditional territory of the Secwepemc people, the Sk’elep School was built to provide an outstanding facility for children from kindergarten to grade 7. The school combines a balance of high academic standards and education in Secwepemc Culture. The building was designed to create a safe, healthy and green physical environment for students. Offsets helped pay for the cost of installing a ground-source heat pump that saves the facility around 75% of the operational cost related to conventional approaches to heating and cooling.

HOW IT WORKS
Ground-source heat pumps utilize the renewable heat that is stored below the earth’s surface and converts this heat into usable energy. An antifreeze solution circulates through underground piping, picking up the natural heat of the earth, which is extracted by the heat pump and converted into energy, which can be used to heat or cool a building and provide preheated water.

CARBON OFFSETS MADE IT HAPPEN
Without offset funds this facility would have installed a conventional gas and electric heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. This project received third party verification as generating real, additional, and permanent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. GSHP technology is seldom implemented on buildings of this size anywhere in the province and the project faced significant investment challenges without the presence of offset funds. This facility acts as a model for the shift to a low carbon future when it comes to installed energy systems.

OTHER BENEFITS OF THE INSTALLATION
In addition to the climate benefit, the GSHP system reduces operating expenses and exposure to long term energy price increase and volatility for a key social agency.