The Forks Market — Geothermal System to Heat & Cool Buildings

In 2010, the Forks Market replaced a depleted natural gas heating system with a geothermal heat pump system. The system is one of the largest and most innovative geothermal systems in Canada at roughly 150 times the size of a typical home system. It makes innovative use of three different earth exchangers: a well loop, a river system and a closed loop heat exchanger located across the Assiniboine River from The Forks Market.

The geothermal heat pump system is projected to lead to energy savings of $250,000 per year. It will also reduce the carbon footprint of the Forks Market while at the same time reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel costs. The project qualified for support from the Government of Manitoba under the Manitoba Geothermal Energy Incentive Program.

Manitoba is a Canadian leader in geothermal heat pump installations. On a per-capita basis, Manitoba installs geothermal at roughly three times the Canadian average. 

A large residential subdivision – The Yards – in Winnipeg, Manitoba is being developed to offer geothermal heating and cooling. See: http://fortrougeyards.com

A residential subpision in Winkler, Manitoba has been developed exclusively to utilize geothermal heat pump technology.

Sun Rivers Golf Resort in Kamloops, BC is designed around a championship golf course and an award winning premier master plan. Two thousand homes, a Resort Hotel, Village Centre and Community Amenities surround a centerpiece of natural beauty and varied recreation….and geothermal heat pump is part of this development.

In Bellwood, Ontario, a subdivision with 195 developed lots on 65 acres known as Pine Meadows will be serviced geothermally using inpidual vertical closed loop systems.

          

Geothermal energy is also installed at  a “community level” such as new subpisions and integrated community energy systems that convert multiple commercial buildings or homes to geothermal.

For more information, visit our Community/District Systems page.

Advantages For Developers, Owners and Landlords

Geothermal heat pump systems create "an exceptionally comfortable" environment, with highest satisfaction ratings.²

The system can be in heating or cooling mode at any time and at the same time in different parts of the same building. The system can compensate for heat build-up or temperature variance. Equipment installation is more compact than traditional HVAC, Mechanical rooms are smaller or eliminated. Chillers and cooling towers requiring structural support, construction cost, sound isolation and maintenance labour are eliminated. No boilers mean no smokestacks, no back-up fuel tanks or natural gas lines and no dangers of explosion.

For commercial buildings, geothermal heat pump technology eliminates costs and affects of chemicals and sterilization agents used against algae and bacterial growth in cooling towers, which can taint air drawn through building ventilation ducts (part of sick building syndrome).

No gas emissions of any kind. No holes are drilled or installed in roofs, reducing the risk of leaks. For architecturally sensitive design or restoration, the design advantage allows unlimited creativity and aesthetically pleasing work without HVAC equipment constraints. For retrofitting older buildings, this means full air-conditioning is an option, in many cases for the first time.

Below are Geothermal applications in Rosenort, Manitoba:

• Rosebay Apartments
• Rosenort Credit Union
• Rosewood Apartments
• Rosenort Hockey Arena
• Heritage House (Café on Rose Lane)
• School Building

 

Smith Carter Architects & Engineers Winnipeg Head Office is serviced with Geothermal Technology

Forks market gets $4.8-M geothermal system
Britt Harvey, Winnipeg Free Press, Tuesday, June 22, 2010

New Digs Eco Friendly, Waverley HQ Environmental Flagship
Kathleen Martens, Winnipeg Sun, Sunday, March 28, 2004

North American Game Warden Museum – International Peace Gardens
Located in the International Peace Gardens between the USA and Canada, the museum converted from fossil fuel heat  to renewable geothermal heating and cooling in 2013.

Other Commercial Examples

• International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
• Natural Resources Canada – Integrated Community Energy – Port Hawkesbury Centre

School Examples:

• Swan Lake Manitoba School
• School Building Case Studies

² Ministry of Natural Resources, Brochure Heat Pump Technology, 1997; Trends in Renewable Energy Issue #143