Johnson Controls has installed two YORK CYK centrifugal heat pumps to support the expansion of the False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility (NEU) in British Columbia, Canada. The upgraded system now delivers low-carbon thermal energy to 47 buildings using heat recovered from municipal wastewater.
The new installation triples the NEU’s capacity and supplies heating and hot water to approximately 10,000 residents, including facilities such as Emily Carr University and the Creekside Community Centre. The heat pumps operate at over 300% efficiency, converting wastewater heat into usable energy, and are expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7,000 tonnes annually.
Each of the two 3.3 MW heat pumps was engineered by Johnson Controls to fit within an existing mechanical space with limited capacity. The high-temperature centrifugal systems produce 155°F (68°C) heating water, which is distributed via underground piping to individual buildings, each equipped with an energy transfer station.
“This project shows how advanced heat pump technologies can turn ‘free energy’ into lower costs, reduced emissions and a more secure energy future,” said Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls.
False Creek’s NEU has utilized sewage heat recovery since 2010 and aims to transition fully to low-carbon energy by 2030.
