How Pace Helps School Districts Reduce Heating Energy Without Major Capital Upgrades
A Pace-led project with Grand Prairie & District Catholic Schools reduced space-heating energy use by 15.96% across four Alberta schools.
For school districts, reducing energy use is rarely as simple as replacing equipment.
Budgets are limited. Heating systems need to remain reliable. Facilities teams cannot afford disruption during the school year, and large capital upgrades can take years to plan, approve, and fund.
That is why Pace Solutions works with school districts and institutional facilities to identify practical energy-saving opportunities within their existing heating systems.
A recent project with Grand Prairie & District Catholic Schools shows what that can look like.
Working alongside REDE Energy Solutions, Pace helped the district assess four schools, review their hydronic heating systems and water quality, install an energy-efficiency treatment solution, and provide ongoing support through a seven-month pilot.
The result was a calculated 15.96% reduction in space-heating energy use across the four schools.
Starting With the Existing System
The project included:
- Mother Theresa Middle School
- École Louis Riel Primary School
- St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sexsmith
- St. Mary’s Catholic School in Beaverlodge
Pace identified the opportunity and completed pre-site assessments at each facility.
This included reviewing the existing closed-loop heating systems, understanding how the schools operated, and evaluating water quality before recommending an approach.
For school districts, this type of assessment is important. Two buildings may use similar boilers or hydronic heating systems but perform very differently based on water quality, system condition, operating practices, building age, and overall heating demand.
Rather than assuming every site needs a major retrofit, Pace helps facilities teams understand where energy savings may be available within the equipment and systems they already operate.
Delivering Energy Improvements Without Disruption
For this project, REDE Energy Solutions recommended EndoTherm based on its experience supporting other school districts and energy-efficiency projects.
Pace supplied and installed EndoTherm, completed the required water-quality review, and provided ongoing support throughout the pilot.
The installation was completed during the heating season without disrupting school operations.
There was no equipment replacement, no downtime, no boiler setpoint changes, and no need to take the existing heating systems offline.
“From the Pace side, it was a trouble-free installation from start to finish with no disruption to the schools,” said Cody Gadoury of Pace Solutions’ Edmonton team. “It was a pleasure working with REDE Energy Solutions and Grand Prairie & District Catholic Schools on a project that delivered measurable results without disrupting the schools or requiring equipment replacement.”
Measuring the Results
The project was evaluated using an analysis methodology guided by the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol, or IPMVP Option C.
REDE Energy Solutions supported the district as its energy-management partner and peer-reviewed the energy analysis.
A historical gas-use baseline was developed using monthly billing data from January 2023 through August 2025. Pilot-period gas use was then compared against expected consumption based on weather conditions and historical building performance.
The evaluation period ran from September 2025 through March 2026. October 2025 was excluded because teacher strikes affected normal school operations.
Across the four schools, the pilot produced:
- 15.96% reduction in space-heating energy use
- 1,225 GJ of natural-gas savings
- $9,808 in avoided energy costs during the pilot period
- 61,250 kg of CO₂e avoided
The project demonstrated measurable savings at every site.
A Proven Approach Across Canadian Education Facilities
Grand Prairie is not the only education project where Pace has helped improve heating-system efficiency.
EndoTherm is expected to reduce space-heating natural-gas consumption by approximately 10–15% in suitable hydronic boiler and closed-loop systems. Results vary because schools are active, changing environments, where occupancy, schedules, ventilation, and other operating factors can affect energy use beyond the heating system itself.
Other Canadian education-sector case studies include:
- Maple Ridge School District, BC — 11.44% energy saved
- Waterloo Regional District School Board, ON — 11.91% energy saved
- Calgary Board of Education, AB — 13.20% energy saved
- Centre de services scolaires des Bois-Francs, QC — 10.08% energy saved
- Coquitlam School District elementary schools, BC — 11.35% energy saved
- Burnaby School District, BC — 11.17% energy saved
- Simon Fraser University, BC — 14.30% energy saved
- University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford campus, BC — 13.44% energy saved
These projects demonstrate that schools, universities, and other institutional facilities may be able to reduce heating energy use without immediately committing to major boiler replacement or disruptive capital work.
Following the success of the pilot, Grand Prairie & District Catholic Schools is planning to add EndoTherm to additional schools.
Request a Heating Energy Assessment
Pace works with institutional facilities to assess hydronic heating systems and identify practical opportunities to reduce energy use without unnecessary disruption or capital replacement.
If your school district or facility operates boilers or closed-loop hydronic heating systems, contact Pace at [email protected] to request a heating energy assessment.
