Seabird Island Geothermal Project Delivers High-Efficiency Heating and Cooling for Community Buildings

West Coast Geothermal is proud to have supported a geothermal heating and cooling project for community facilities at Seabird Island in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley — a project built to deliver efficient, reliable comfort to the spaces a community depends on every day.

Delivering a project of this scale required a coordinated team of experienced trades, controls specialists, electrical professionals, and engineering oversight.

West Coast Geothermal was proud to contribute the geothermal system expertise alongside

• Century Plumbing & Heating for plumbing and HVAC,
• Ainsworth for controls and integration,
• Norich Electric for electrical services, and
• Rocky Point Engineering for engineering and oversight.

The work covered geothermal systems for three important community buildings: an elementary school, a high school, and a band office facility that includes a large gymnasium. These are the buildings where learning happens, where staff keep community services running, and where people gather — so dependable heating and cooling matters far beyond the mechanical room.

A Community-Focused Energy Upgrade

The goal of the project was straightforward: improve long-term building performance, support a lower-energy approach to heating and cooling, and provide efficient comfort for spaces that serve the whole community.

For schools, offices, gyms, and community buildings, comfort is infrastructure.

Heating and cooling systems quietly support learning, gatherings, administration, recreation, and day-to-day community life. A well-designed system should simply work — reliably, efficiently, and for the long term.

What Is an Open-Loop Geothermal System?

The Seabird Island project uses an open-loop geothermal system, also described as a groundwater-based or water-source geothermal system.

In this design, groundwater is used as the energy source. Water is pumped from the ground, passed through the geothermal heat pump system so heat can be absorbed or rejected, and then returned to the ground.

When the system is designed correctly, the water is not consumed. It is part of a cycle that allows the system to move heat efficiently between the building and the ground. Because groundwater temperatures stay relatively stable year-round, open-loop systems can deliver excellent efficiency when site conditions are suitable.

High-Efficiency Heating and Cooling

Early system performance has been very strong. The system has demonstrated high coefficient of performance (COP) readings, which means the buildings are receiving significantly more heating or cooling output than the electrical energy required to run the system. In practical terms, that translates to lower operating energy for the same comfort.

Final performance data will continue to be reviewed as the system operates through a full heating and cooling cycle.

The “Free Cooling” Advantage

One of the most compelling benefits of this type of system is efficient cooling. In some open-loop geothermal systems, naturally cool groundwater can provide a form of passive, or “free,” cooling — reducing the need for compressor operation during certain conditions. For buildings that previously had limited or no cooling, this is a meaningful comfort improvement that arrives with very modest energy use.

Built for the Long Term

Geothermal systems are a long-term investment.

With proper maintenance, this class of system is built to serve a community for many years, and ongoing inspection and service help protect that performance over its full service life. Planning for long-term care is part of doing the project right — not an afterthought.

Supporting Community Infrastructure

West Coast Geothermal supports community-focused geothermal projects for First Nations, schools, public facilities, and institutional buildings throughout British Columbia. For communities planning energy upgrades, geothermal systems can offer long-term efficiency, reliable comfort, and reduced dependence on conventional heating.

West Coast Geothermal is grateful to Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island Band) for the opportunity to support this important community infrastructure project.

Congratulations to the Seabird Island community on an energy upgrade that will serve its schools and facilities for years to come.