False Creek Energy Centre was the first community energy centre in North America to utilise municipal wastewater and heat pump technology as the primary heat source.  The City of Vancouver (CoV) engaged Ausenco Sandwell as prime consultant to design an environmentally friendly Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) to deliver hot water for space heating and domestic hot water to a number of buildings located within the Southeast False Creek (SEFC) area.  The project supports the CoV's mandate that SEFC be developed as a sustainable community incorporating the principles of energy-efficient design in its area plan.  The first phase of the NEU was showcased during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games at the athletes' village.

At the heart of the NEU is the Community Energy Centre (CEC) which generates and delivers the hot water.  The CEC is the first in North America to utilise municipal wastewater and heat pump technology as the primary heat source, supplemented with natural gas-fired boilers.  The complexity and sensitivity of the project required extensive public consultation with a range of stakeholders.  In addition, due to the high visibility of the facility, the project required a multidisciplinary approach with experts in engineering, architecture, public art, landscaping, and sustainability to develop a solution that is appealing to the general public from both an environmental and aesthetic perspective.

The facility consists of a new, self-cleaning municipal sewage pump station, raw wastewater screening, sewage/refrigerant heat pump, gas-fired boilers, HVAC, electrical, instrumentation and control systems, and an emergency generator.  The equipment is housed in an architecturally designed structure that incorporates urban artwork, public open spaces and public education elements.

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