Distribute

UTM has over a half century of innovation with district energy systems. The current CUP distributes electricity, steam, hot and chilled water to buildings on campus. This is a more efficient way to distribute energy than placing stand-alone systems in buildings directly.

Key Initiatives

• Nodal Networks – removing single points of failure and increasing redundancy by creating a network of interconnected thermal and electric energy redistribution nodes.
• Electrification – transforming our infrastructure to state-of-the-art, replacing fossil fuels with electricity as the primary source for thermal energy.
• Steam to Hot Water Conversion – eliminating the use of steam as a primary source for heating our buildings by retrofitting them to use efficient low-temperature hot water (LTHW) systems

UTM Central Utilities Plant Tunnel 

Dubbed Project SHIFT, UTM plans to complete deep energy retrofits in the CUP – such as electrification, steam to hot water conversion, controls optimization, and energy storage. The retrofits will reduce GHG emissions by more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Project SHIFT will allow UTM to modernize the plant and begin to SHIFT away from fossil fuels as the primary heating source. We can then upgrade connected energy-intensive buildings to reduce the amount of carbon they emit.