Atlin District Emergency Services Facility, Atlin, BC
The Atlin facility replaces a late-1970s fire hall and administrative building with a new 6,000-sf facility combining apparatus bays, operational support spaces, and offices. Located in a community without natural gas service and powered by a standalone hydroelectric grid, the building had to respond to wildfire, smoke, and power outage risks while serving as Atlin’s primary emergency operations hub.
RDH modelled the baseline building using RETScreen to reflect the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) minimum enclosure performance, cold-climate air-source heat pumps in administrative areas, and electric radiant in-floor heating in the apparatus bays, systems selected to operate reliably without natural gas or grid redundancy. RDH evaluated seven ECMs, including enhanced roof and wall insulation, triple-pane glazing, improved entry doors, floor insulation, airtightness, and partial heat pump load-sharing in the apparatus bay. The preferred “Construction Practical” bundle achieved approximately 30% annual energy reduction using measures aligned with northern construction practices.
Christina Lake Firehall, Christina Lake, BC
The Christina Lake Firehall is a 4,800-sf facility constructed in the late 1990s that serves as the sole operations centre for Christina Lake Fire Rescue. This region carries a mandate of 40% GHG emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. RDH assessed near-term retrofit measures targeting enclosure performance and operational carbon reduction. The phased retrofit strategy identified measures to significantly reduce operational carbon without taking the facility offline.
RDH calibrated the RETScreen model against 2025 utility data to achieve close alignment with metered consumption before testing retrofit options. RDH assessed ten ECMs individually and in three bundled scenarios. The enclosure plus air-to-water heat pump bundle achieved significant energy and GHG reductions. Targeted measures, including exterior insulation at the apparatus bay walls and replacement of overhead doors, demonstrated strong cost-to-performance value.
Across both projects, RETScreen supported early-stage ECM comparison across new construction and retrofit contexts, providing quantified outputs prior to detailed design. In heating-dominated climates, airtightness emerged as a primary performance driver. Calibrated utility data and climate-appropriate baselines strengthened the reliability of the analysis for funder review. By integrating energy modelling with climate hazard considerations, RDH aligned resilience, operational continuity, and GHG reduction within a single performance framework. The work resulted in a phased retrofit roadmap for Christina Lake and a defined performance target for Atlin’s long-term emergency services facility.
