National Western Center clean energy source
The future National Western Center campus will source nearly 90% of its heating and cooling from an underground sewer pipeline—a recycled source of thermal energy—through an agreement with EAS Energy Partners. When complete, the 3.8-megawatt system will be the largest sewer-heat recovery system in North America. The benefits of the system include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency of buildings and improved air quality and health.
Under construction now, the National Western Center will be a year-round, global destination for agriculture and food innovation, western heritage and culture, opening in north Denver in 2024. Its master plan envisioned a sustainable, low-carbon campus with ambitious goals for clean energy.
The custom design uses both sewer-heat recovery and a district energy approach. Sewer-heat recovery pulls thermal energy from wastewater instead of burning natural gas. District energy systems pump warm or cool water via a closed-loop network of pipes from a central plant to a group of buildings, instead of each building having its own boilers and chillers. The results are high efficiency lower capital costs, and a reliable and resilient energy source during outages.
Seven buildings will use the system initially, with capacity to expand over time. They include three owned by the City and County of Denver, three buildings comprising the CSU Spur campus, and the National Western Stock Show’s Legacy Building. The National Western Center Authority, which operates the campus, will pay for the system over 40 years with event revenue and monthly energy bills from system users. The system is being delivered at a cost comparable in the long run to traditional natural gas systems, with grant support from the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.
Construction on the system will begin this summer. The system will be complete in 2022, and the broader campus will be complete in 2024. Learn more about the energy system at nationalwesterncenter.com/energy.
