Building a Net-Zero RCMP Detachment Building in Fort St. John

The City of Fort St. John intends to construct a new net-zero-energy building for the local RCMP detachment, to replace the existing 35-year-old building that has reached the end of its useful life. The new four-storey building envelope will include a reception area, detainment cells, exhibits units, a forensic identification unit, a crime reduction unit, a support services unit, a drugs and serious crimes unit, and municipal, provincial and federal units. The new building will be constructed on a site adjacent to the existing RCMP detachment building. It will be municipally owned and leased by the RCMP.

The municipality has identified three key strategies to meet its net-zero goal: (1) increasing the building’s thermal performance; (2) making the building’s operational systems more efficient; and (3) generating on-site renewable energy. The city also plans to maximize energy efficiency by optimizing the building’s envelope through the control of heat loss and gain, minimizing energy consumption of lighting and electrical devices, and using energy-efficient mechanical HVAC systems. The building’s roof and HVAC systems have been designed to allow for the installation of a 150kW solar photovoltaic; however, BC Hydro currently limits the addition of on-site generation to 100kW under its Net Metering Program. This means that while the building will be net-zero-ready on project completion, it will not be able to achieve net-zero-energy performance.

This project aligns with Fort St. John’s Official Community Plan for environmental sustainability and its 2018–2023 Strategic Plan to build and manage public assets and human resources that support current and future community needs.

Innovative aspect(s):

• Targeting net-zero energy for a building of this size is innovative for a Northern B.C. community like Fort. St John
• Most of the proposed construction materials (e.g., timber construction, triple glazing windows, rock wool insulation and low volatile organic compound paint) have rarely or never been used in buildings constructed in Fort St. John

Replicability

Using innovative and new building materials to achieve net-zero energy will serve as a proof of concept for local contractors, developers and elected officials; this will help to dispel the myths that net-zero buildings are too difficult or too expensive to construct in Northern B.C.

Environmental benefits

• The project has the potential to achieve net-zero-ready energy status by reducing energy consumption by 85% (3,041 GJ/year or an equivalent offset of 10.824 tCO2e/yr) and covering up to two-thirds of its annual energy needs through on-site renewable energy generation with the installation of solar photovoltaic panels (potential of 378 GJ/year)
• Water-conservation measures will include efficient plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals
• The site design includes a 118m2 refuse area to allow ample space for various waste and recycling streams as well as a refuse and recycling room inside the building for waste-stream sorting

• Expected annual operating and maintenance costs savings of $64,457
• A great potential to create jobs for local contractors and consultants, as well as additional RCMP staff members in the future as Fort St. John grows

Social benefits

• New parking lot lighting to improve nighttime visibility and increase sense of safety
• Accessible plaza in front of the building and bike parking to improve visitors’ experience
• The initiative can be used to showcase/educate the public on climate change mitigation strategies