Sewage Heat Powers Denver's Future

In north Denver, a pioneering system is harnessing the thermal energy from sewage to provide heating and cooling for buildings at the National Western Center. Since coming online in April 2022, this technology, utilizing SHARC 880 units, now fulfills about 90% of the energy needs for multiple campus structures, including those at the Colorado State University Spur campus. The system operates by extracting heat from wastewater, which maintains a stable temperature year-round, and transferring it to buildings via a clean water loop. In warmer months, it reverses to cool the buildings by rejecting heat into the sewage. This district energy approach, managed by CenTrio, is recognized as the largest sewer heat recovery system in North America. The project involved extensive engineering and infrastructure rerouting, with Saunders and AECOM collaborating on its design and construction.

Beyond its immediate energy benefits, the sewer heat recovery system offers significant environmental advantages. Once the National Western Center is fully developed, it is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 2,600 metric tonnes annually. This is comparable to removing over 6.5 million miles of vehicle travel from Denver's roads each year. The current infrastructure already serves over one million square feet across seven buildings, with built-in capacity for future expansion as the campus grows. This innovative solution offers Denver a practical method to decrease its reliance on natural gas by repurposing heat that would otherwise be lost.