Houston got government funding for a study of their geothermal system to determine potential for future expansion.
Through the Gas Tax Fund, the federal government gave the District of Houston$10,050, and Houston also got $10,050 from Omenica Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC) in June 2012, said Houston CAO Linda Poznikoff.
She says the current geothermal system, set up behind the Houston arena, collects heat from the arena and uses it to heat the pools in the Leisure Facility.
There is more capacity to the system, Poznikoff says, adding that council’s vision was to expand the system to heat other local government buildings, such as the municipal office, community hall, RCMP station and fire department.
The grants completely cover the cost of the system study, which will let them know how much energy they have and how many facilities they can add to the system, Poznikoff said.
The monitoring equipment will be set up over the next few weeks and will collect data for a whole year before it is evaluated and council gets a report.