Humber Polytechnic is undergoing a drastic remodelling of its heating and cooling systems, pushing it closer to achieving its net-zero target by 2029.

The Toronto-based college has over 30,000 full-time students, with a portfolio of over 50 buildings that make up approximately three million square feet of floor space. Its 2029 net-zero goal covers direct (related to Humber’s activities) and indirect emissions from purchases of electricity.

As the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings is a result of heating powered by natural gas, Humber is concentrating on electrifying these systems as much as possible, then offsetting the remainder.

“This is nothing new for us . . . We’ve always had a climate action goal, this is about accelerating it. Sustainability has always been a core value of the institution,” Aman Hehar, Humber’s associate director of energy and climate change, said in an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada.

A 2029 net-zero goal puts Humber ahead of the pack on climate ambition compared to other Canadian higher education institutions. A minority of universities have already achieved net-zero or carbon neutrality (four per cent) or committed to a net-zero goal before 2050 (18 per cent), according to Universities Canada.

Decarbonizing Humber's campuses

Humber initiated an energy plan in 2017 to decarbonize its operations with actions such as upgrades to building envelopes and lighting systems, adding solar panels and retrofitting controls. To date, it has cut water use by almost 24 per cent per student, energy use per square foot by 24.2 per cent and absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 11 per cent from a 2014 baseline.

“We’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting already with the projects we’ve done and what’s underway,” Hehar said. “That’s made getting to net-zero in 2029 possible.”

Like many institutions, Humber had a 2050 net-zero goal, but its latest Climate Action Plan accelerated the speed with which it intends to hit the target. The goal was moved up because of Humber's experience and the opportunity to lead by example for other institutions, he continued.

SWITCH, a landmark project expected to be completed by late 2025 to early 2026, will bring in a hot water-based district energy system that will use heat pumps, an electric boiler and heat recovery chillers as an alternative to a steam boiler system. Natural gas use will be slashed by 70 per cent at the North Campus, the college’s largest, resulting in an almost 30 per cent cut to Humber’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

A second phase may introduce geothermal energy to supplant any remaining natural gas use on the North Campus.

Redeveloping Humber Cultural Hub

The redevelopment of Humber Cultural Hub, a 365,000-square-foot project scheduled for completion in 2026, will employ electrification of natural gas equipment, solar panels and geothermal energy. It, along with SWITCH, will constitute a major part of the decarbonization of Humber in time for 2029, Hehar explained.

The combined efforts of SWITCH and the Cultural Hub have put Humber in position to nearly halve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions, compared to 2015, by the end of 2025, Hehar said.

Additional steps by Humber include:

• electrifying the heating source of the Lakeshore East campus through heat pumps and heat recovery chillers. Geothermal energy may also be introduced eventually, Hehar said;
• substituting natural gas-fired units at the Centre for Skilled Trades & Technology that are nearing end-of-life with heat pumps; and
• converting its central plant heating system from natural gas to electric.

The further actions will take Humber to approximately 80 per cent reductions by 2029. Steps to eliminated the remainder of emissions are still in discussion by college executives, Hehar said.

Balancing costs

Decarbonizing cost effectively is “critical”, Hehar said. The major challenge in electrifying heating and cooling was managing the costs. Electricity commands a higher fee per unit of heating than natural gas, he explained.

Energy efficiency was crucial as a result to lower operational costs. “For us, it’s not just about electrifying the heating, but doing it in a practical way.”

So far, Humber’s sustainability projects have saved the college over $2.8 million annually in utility costs, with an additional $1.5 million per year in savings anticipated from ongoing projects. SWITCH alone will be responsible for over $1 million in annual savings, Hehar said.

An additional benefit of the retrofits is retiring older systems that are nearing end of life. This, Hehar said, will further reduce maintenance bills.

As Humber’s operational emissions consist of just under a quarter of its total emissions as of 2022-23, more work remains to be done, Hehar said.

There is no target yet for the indirect emissions, referred to as Scope 3, that come from transportation, food and waste, which account for the majority of the college’s pollution.

It is currently being addressed by encouraging more sustainable transportation among its staff and students, and supporting remote work, he said.