Geoexchange Systems Within the Bow Valley

11:00am - 11:45am

Workshop Session B

Geo-exchange technology utilizes the earth's heat for eco-friendly building heating and cooling - and this technology has been leveraged to provide heating and cooling in the Malcolm Hotel itself, and adjacent buildings within the Spring Creek development. Lance Trewartha of Brightside Mechanical led this work and will speak to his motivations, challenges, experienced, and successes; Amir Darbandi, a UofC mechanical engineer researcher passionate about geo-exchange systems, presents a case study on their viability throughout the Bow Valley and delves into economic and technical aspects, revealing promising results.

Amirhossein Darbandi

Amirhossein Darbandi has been a research associate in the Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems lab at the University of Calgary's Mechanical Engineering Department since January 2022. His research centers on thermal analysis and optimization of geo-exchange systems and foundation heat exchangers, particularly in cold climates with high heating demands. He aims to develop energy-efficient ground heat exchanger designs to decarbonize space heating in buildings, focusing on regions where heating loads outweigh cooling needs.

Lance Trewartha

Lance Trewartha is the founder of Brightside Mechanical Inc. which is based in the Bow Valley, Alberta. Lance has had a long career working on industrial and residential geothermal & geoexchange and air source heat pump systems as well as conventional heating, ventilation and cooling systems. When he isn’t working you’ll find him mountain biking, hiking, or snowboarding and being an active member of our local community.