Whitby Civic Recreation Complex

At a Glance
• System Configuration: 2 × C65 Grid Connect Capstone Microturbines managed via controls
• Annual Generation: >1,000 MWh/year of clean, grid-synchronized electricity
• Thermal Output: 860,000 BTU/hr of recovered hot water for pool and facility hydronic loops
• Financial Impact: ~$100,000 / year in annual energy cost reductions
• Strategic Partnership: Developed in collaboration with Whitby Hydro Energy Corporation (WHEC) and commissioned in 2017


The Challenge
Operating a 54,000-square-foot municipal athletic facility, the Whitby Civic Recreation Complex (CRC) in Ontario features a full health club, fitness studio, and two large indoor swimming pools. Maintaining warm water temperatures for dual pools while powering high-demand fitness equipment creates significant 24/7 thermal and electrical loads. Facing high regional electricity tariffs and natural gas heating expenses, the Town of Whitby needed a cost-effective, sustainable energy solution to reduce facility operating overhead without relying on ratepayer tax increases.


The Solution
In partnership with Whitby Hydro Energy Corporation, the town approved and installed a 130 kW Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system featuring two Capstone C65 microturbines integrated directly into the facility’s mechanical framework.
• On-Site Electricity Generation: Produces over 1,000 MWh of clean baseload electricity annually, directly offsetting expensive grid power demand across the 54,000-square-foot complex.
• Dual-Pool Thermal Recovery: Captures 860,000 BTU/hr of high-grade exhaust waste heat to continuously maintain water temperatures for both indoor swimming pools and supply space heating.
• High-Efficiency Dual-Use Fueling: Replaces separate grid power purchases and boiler fuel burn with a single, highly efficient natural gas application that reaches total system thermal efficiencies above 80%.
• Low-Maintenance Municipal Integration: Leverages oil-free, air-bearing microturbine technology with a single moving part, delivering quiet, vibration-free operation ideal for a public health and fitness environment.


The Results
• $100,000 Annual Savings: Significantly lowers municipal energy expenditures, delivering rapid financial paybacks and freeing up city funds for local recreation programming.
• Offset Boiler Natural Gas Demand: Recovers exhaust heat to fulfill heavy pool heating requirements, drastically reducing legacy boiler fuel usage.
• Enhanced Municipal Sustainability: Supports the Town of Whitby’s corporate energy and emissions targets by converting fuel into both electricity and usable heat at peak efficiency.
• Successful Utility Collaboration: Demonstrates a model public partnership between municipal government and local distribution utilities to deploy distributed energy resources.