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How do even you gift-wrap three natural gas boilers? FortisBC found a way

December 19, 2020 – The Vancouver Aquarium closed its doors in September due to the pandemic and, adding to the non-profit’s financial strain, the natural gas boilers used to heat the Amazon Centre, Aqua Centre and shark tanks failed earlier this year.

Despite being closed to the public, more than 70,000 aquatic animals still call the aquarium Home.

To remedy the boiler situation, FortisBC donated replacement high-efficiency natural gas boilers for these animal habitats.

“We are extremely grateful to FortisBC for this generous donation,” said Mackenzie Neale, director of Animal Care at the Vancouver Aquarium. “The boilers help the aquarium during what is a very difficult time, and also supports our journey toward sustainable building operations.”

FortisBC donated three, used high-efficiency natural gas boilers from a recent project, worth about $60,000 in total, to heat the various habitats. The aquarium is also receiving further support through financial incentives for different projects—such as custom design retrofits and heat recovery—which comes with participating in FortisBC’s energy efficiency programs.

“The Vancouver Aquarium is a world-class wildlife education and conservation establishment, and we’re proud to support it,” said Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at FortisBC. “We hope this donation will provide some relief to the aquarium’s financial burden and keep their operating costs lower moving into the future.”

Once the newer boilers are installed, the Aquarium can look forward to several years of reliable and affordable heating for their animal habitats.