Request for Proposals Issued for Solar Energy Systems at Three Hospitals

VICTORIA – The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design-build firms to provide a system that will use solar energy to preheat potable water. This new system will be installed at three sites: Victoria General Hospital, Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Salt Spring Island’s Lady Minto Hospital.

The RFP is posted on the BCBID website at http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca (posting #O4-RFP- 376), and closes on December 3, 2010. Completion date for this project is March 31, 2011.

The successful proponents will consult with VIHA’s Facilities Maintenance and Operations Department to provide all labor, supervision, equipment and materials needed to design, install, test and commission a complete solar water heating system. This new system will operate in conjunction with each hospital’s existing plumbing and control systems.

This project will help reduce natural gas and propane consumption, decrease emissions and realize energy cost savings at the three sites. Funding for this project is provided through the provincial government’s Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PSECA) along with its partners Terasen Gas, SolarBC, and Natural Resources Canada to improve energy efficiency for schools, post secondary institutions and hospitals across B.C. For more information on PSECA, please visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cas/mitigation/pseca.html.

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Media Contact:
Shannon Marshall
VIHA Communications
250-370-8270