PCWC invests in energy-saving upgrades

The Pictou County Wellness Centre will undergo many upgrades that will see energy savings and improved air quality. It also has a new look in its atrium thanks to Sobeys which is the Official Grocer of Team Canada for the 2022 Olympics.  The new display, located over the Sobeys Arena, features Stellarton’s own Olympic athlete, Blayre Turnbull who will be playing on the Women’s National Hockey Team in the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, China.  Submitted Photo

Westville Road, Pictou County - The Pictou County Wellness Centre is undergoing work that will improve energy efficiencies and the overall health of the building.

Pictou County Wellness Centre Chief Operating Officer Graham MacNeil and Pictou County Wellness Centre Board Chair Jim Ryan are pleased to announce that the Wellness Centre has approved an Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls Inc.

Work will begin immediately, incorporating a recently announced Province of Nova Scotia Rink Revitalization enhancement grant, and the contract has been designed to significantly impact energy efficiencies, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon tax reductions and overall operations.

The $2.9 million upgrades are expected to result in a 34 per cent reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions for the building.

“We live in a world where the focus is on the importance of being green and we are a centre that makes wellness a priority in every aspect, “said Ryan. “It is still considered a new building, but the technology that exists today did not exist when it was built, and we now have an opportunity to be better.”    

Improvements in energy efficiencies will be seen through the improved use of heat recovery and overall control of the building’s operations, new lighting and ventilation, and the addition of a solar wall that will save more than $5 million in operating costs over a 15-year period. This would represent an average savings of approximately $356,000 annually.

As a result, the project is expected to pay for itself within a relatively short period of time through significant annual utility cost savings along with incentives and grants from municipal, provincial, and federal programs focused on green energy.

This work will include using a combination of new and existing equipment designed to meet future performance expectations and, therefore, will have an almost immediate impact on the day-to-day operations of both the PCWC and YMCA which will allow the management team to continue with its focus on new creating new opportunities.

This energy performance project is only one of several significant strategic changes designed to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness being introduced at the centre over the coming months as the implementation of the recently approved strategic plan progresses.

For example, the Pictou County Wellness Centre will also be upgrading its air circulation system in its dressing room and atrium.   This work is funded through the $115,000 received from the provincial government’s Nova Scotia Rink Revitalization Program.

The Pictou County Wellness Centre opened in 2012 and is governed by a board authority comprised of representatives of the Municipality of Pictou County and the towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, and Trenton.