Regional District of Nanaimo Goes Solar

The Transportation Administration building.

The Regional District of Nanaimo is celebrating a successful application for solar funding. Their ecoENERGY Renewable Heat grant, to be matched by SolarBC, will enable the district to install a solar hot water system on their renovated Transportation Administration building.

“I think it's great,” says Chris Midgley, Sustainability Coordinator for the Regional District of Nanaimo. “We’re one of the local governments in BC that signed onto the climate action charter, and are now working toward carbon neutral operations. It’s a small step but a good step for us.”

He says the design for the building's renovations, which will also include a vegetated, 'green' roof, is aiming at LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification. When a design team went through the LEED checklist for green building features to include, one of the elements related to renewable energy. The discovery of the grants available for solar hot water helped the RDN's decision to install a solar hot water system in satisfaction of renewable energy credits for LEED certification.

He also adds that the experience will be valuable for the installers who are new to the process of solar hot water installations. This will be an opportunity for them to become familiar with the process, something that will have a positive effect in the long run.

“What we need to do is take some level of leadership,” Midgley explains. “This is a learning experience, with one of our goals being to build the capacity in the various construction sectors, so that it makes it easier in the future as these systems become more popular.”