Since 2002 UTM has been in a state of constant growth to accommodate the addition of more faculty, staff, and students, meaning energy demand has also increased. However, UTM has implemented many projects to reduce energy use and increase renewable energy on campus, including upgrading older buildings to become more efficient and installing solar panels.
Download UTM's Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan (2019)
Renewable Energy on Campus
The UTM campus features both solar and geothermal technologies.
- Geothermal in the Instructional Building
Geothermal systems — also known as earth-energy, ground-source heat pumps and geo-exchange systems — have been in existence for almost 50 years.
The geothermal system provides heating to a building in the winter and cooling in the summer. In the summer, heat is taken out of the building and stored in the ground. In the winter, the stored heat is taken out of the ground and returned to the building.
A geothermal system is used to heat and cool the Instructional Building. The well field — where the boreholes were drilled — is located on the football field adjacent to the building. There are a total of 117 boreholes, which are each 168 meters (about 550 feet) deep. Since there is no need for a separate boiler and chiller to heat and cool the building, this system saves a significant amount of energy. The only energy used is a small amount of electricity to run the pumps. The Instructional Buildings certified LEED silver.
For more information on ground-source heat pumps, see the Ontario Geothermal Association.
- Solar Panels on the William G. Davis Building and Instructional Building
|
Building Name and Details |
Building Address |
UofT Building Code |
Building Image |
|---|---|---|---|
|
William G. Davis Building |
1867 Inner Circle |
DV |
 |
|
Instructional Building |
1599 Outer Circle | IB |  |