The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and Creative Energy have reached financial close on a $50-million loan to support the deep decarbonization of buildings through connection to district energy systems.

This partnership will enable Creative Energy’s clients in British Columbia and Ontario to reduce more than 90 per cent of their emissions through options such as switching from natural gas heating to efficient electricity-based district energy systems.

The first building retrofit project under the partnership will be at Thompson Rivers University, upgrading 12 buildings and providing heating capacity to one new building across its Kamloops, British Columbia campus. The campus will transition from decentralized natural gas heating to a high-efficiency electrified heat source using a centralized air-source and water-source heat pump strategy.

Creative Energy is the owner and operator of one of North America’s largest district energy systems.

With buildings accounting for around 18 per cent of Canada’s total emissions, the CIB’s retrofit investments aim to enhance building sustainability while reducing energy consumption and associated capital costs.