CHUM - Notre Dame Hospital
Project Details
Location
Montreal, Quebec
Number of Buildings
1 complex comprising of 8 interconnected wings
System Implemented
Heating plant, closed-loop geothermal system, LED lighting, VAV, coils
Project Goal
Reduce the CHUM’s carbon footprint and energy consumption
Impact at a Glance
43,5% reduction in energy consumption (1,26 GJ/m² residual)
GHG reduction of 9,450 tons of CO2/year (80% of the site’s
emissions)
Annual savings of $1,677,819 validated through M&V
Challenge
CHUM’s Notre-Dame Hospital, a leading teaching hospital in the heart of
Montreal, was operating with an aging energy infrastructure heavily reliant on
heavy fuel oil—an energy source that is both costly and carbon-intensive. The
complexity of the site, spread across eight interconnected buildings, made any
intervention particularly challenging from a logistical standpoint.
Maintaining hospital operations at all times, space constraints in a dense urban
environment, and the need to comply with the rigorous standards of a
healthcare setting presented significant challenges to overcome in order to
achieve ambitious carbon reduction targetse.
Methodology
Comprehensive energy audit of the 8 pavilions to establish consumption
baselines.
Identification of critical areas: heating, cooling, and lighting.
Assessment of geotechnical constraints for the feasibility of a geothermal field in
an urban setting.
Integrated design of energy efficiency measures with performance guarantees.
Turnkey implementation: project management, engineering, construction,
training, awareness-raising, and M&V monitoring.
Solution
Complete modernization of the thermal power plant, including the total
elimination of heavy fuel oil.
Installation of a closed-loop geothermal system: 20 600-foot wells supplying
two-stage heat pumps (2 × 70 tons).
Replacement of 13,500 lighting fixtures with high-performance luminaires.
Conversion of the kitchen hood to variable air volume (VAV) to optimize
ventilation.
Replacement of direct expansion coils to improve air conditioning efficiency.
The Ripple Effect
Financial: Annual savings of over $1.6 million supporting long-term hospital
infrastructure funding
Environmental / ESG: Complete elimination of heavy fuel oil. Notre-Dame
Hospital stands out as a performance model at 1.26 GJ/m²
. Five awards,
including the 2017 Énergia Award from the AQME
Operational: Thermal infrastructure on the scale of a district heating
network across 8 buildings, with increased reliability and climate resilience
Strategic: A pioneering institutional geothermal project in Montreal,
demonstrating the replicability of the approach in other healthcare facilities
in high-density built-up areas
Awards & Recognitions
2014 Novae Award for Corporate Citizenship (Carbon Footprint category)
Winner of the 2014 Contech Innovation and Sustainable Development
Awards (Innovative Practices category)
Energy Efficiency Award: Contech 2014
Finalist for the AGPI’s 2014 Golden Pillars Award
2017 Énergia Award, AQME (Existing Building – Institutional Sector category)
