Dilworth YMCA Child Care Centre
Kelowna, British Columbia
The Dilworth YMCA Daycare was built to expand daycare places for children up to 5 years of age. The building has a playful and child-centred design, with Passive House elements incorporated for energy sustainability. The consultant team was challenged to provide a robust and economical design while still meeting sustainability goals.
A high-performance building envelope allows the building temperature to be maintained with minimal input from the mechanical systems. The space heating and cooling is entirely electric and does not burn fossil fuels or directly produce greenhouse gases. Air source heat pump fan coils provide terminal heating and cooling while minimizing energy consumption. Electric resistance heat is used for backup and trim heat, but its use is minimized in favour of the more efficiency heat pump systems. Low level return grilles provide improved air change effectiveness while also limiting the stratification of warm air to reduce heating energy input. Heat Recovery Ventilators provide ventilation to the occupied spaces while minimizing the energy spent heating outdoor air.
The electrical systems contribute to low energy demand by employing LED lighting with automated controls.