Lonsdale Energy operates with 99% uptime, making it incredibly reliable. One reason for this is a flexible network with multiple energy sources and eight separate energy centres, providing built-in redundancy that ensures uninterrupted service to our customers.  

Energy sources currently include solar heat, geoexchange (using the earth’s heat), natural gas, renewal natural gas from organic waste, and heat recovery from the Shipyards skating rink, and new sources can be easily added. For example, electric boilers are coming on line in 2025, followed by sewer heat recovery in 2027. 

Reliability is also built in through an ongoing investment in maintaining the equipment and infrastructure, including a 15-km pipe distribution system. 

Compared to traditional single-building heating systems, community energy systems like Lonsdale Energy can leverage economies of scale, resulting in cost savings as well as reduced overall energy consumption.  

The continuous loop system, which recycles and reheats any unused hot water, also ensures that no energy is wasted. Learn more about how this system works. 

Lonsdale Energy’s community energy system is environmentally friendly by design, thanks to the efficiency of a shared system and the flexibility to add new green technologies as they become available.  

As the supplier of heat and hot water to about a quarter of City residents and more than 110 buildings, Lonsdale Energy is taking concrete steps to support the City’s Climate and Environment Strategy and its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Our five-year business plan, Clean Energy 2030, charts a course toward a cleaner and more resilient future with actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand services, increase efficiency and improve service.  This work includes development of a long-term Clean Energy Action Roadmap and investments in low-carbon energy sources such as: 

• A new electric energy centre in 2025, adding electric boilers to our energy sources, and 

• A new sewer heat recovery centre in 2027 that will remove an anticipated 7,600 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) annually, equivalent to taking 2,700 cars off the road in a year.

The transition to cleaner energy sources will pay off with lower long-term costs and a reduced carbon footprint with improved local air quality. 

Lonsdale Energy is looking to the future with strategic investments and initiatives designed to increase sustainability, including: 

• New low-carbon energy sources,  

• Planning and forecasting models to increase organizational efficiency,  and

• New resources to better support our customers.

All of this work will help Lonsdale Energy achieve our vision of a sustainable and resilient energy future—and importantly, continue to provide high-quality heating services our customers can count on. 

Learn more about Lonsdale Energy and our journey, and see what’s in store in the years to come.