- The initiative was one of the Local Energy Investment Competition winners and implied an investment of over $200 million.
- The new technology will reduce CO2 emissions by 245 tons per year and generate energy savings equivalent to the electricity consumption of nearly 600 homes.
Santiago, Tuesday December 17, 2019.- This morning, Santiago Mayor Felipe Alessandri; the Ministry of Energy, Juan Carlos Jobet; the Executive Director for the Energy Sustainability Agency, Ignacio Santelices; Enel X CEO Karla Zapata and City Counsellor Adriana Morán, inaugurated the new heating and lighting equipment for the Parque O’Higgins Heated Pool, whose main feature is its energy efficiency and low consumption.
“In Santiago, energy efficiency has been a top priority, particularly this year when we have all been especially concerned with caring for the environment. This is why we applied to the Local Energy Investment Competition, organized by the Government’s Energy Community program, and were able to access funding to implement this project at the heated pool in Parque O’Higgins, which our residents use year-round,” says Mayor Alessandri.
Ministry of Energy, Juan Carlos Jobet, explains that, “this is proof that energy efficiency is good for the environment and for the wallet, as the initiative will help the city reduce its energy consumption by 30%. Moreover, the project will reduce CO2 emissions by 245 tons per year, which for Parque O’Higgins is equivalent to a having forest of 500 fully grown trees.
“The initiative consisted of changing out the heat pump equipment that supplies the establishment and heats the swimming pool and Olympic pool, as well as changing out the facility’s LED lighting. All of this with the goal of improving the pool's energy efficiency and environmental and economic performance. This will allow for a reduction of 245 tons of CO2 emissions per year and savings of over 1.7 million kwh, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 600 homes. Additionally, the technology changes produce annual energy savings of over $54 million pesos.
“This project is framed within the Energy Community program promoted by the Energy Sustainability Agency and the Ministry of Energy. The program is a local action platform that looks to develop sustainable initiatives by joining forces between the public and private sectors. Right now, and through January 24th, we are accepting applications so that more cities and local players can implement energy sustainability projects throughout the country in the 3rd Local Energy Investment competition, with co-funding of up to $55 million,” says the Executive Director for the Energy Sustainability Agency, Ignacio Santelices.
Karla Zapata, CEO for Enel X, says that, “Enel X’s energy efficiency solutions are implemented according to each customer's needs, whether they are homes, companies or institutions, giving priority to efficiency, innovation and sustainability, and which translates to a better quality of life for the people who use the Parque O’Higgins pool complex every day, obtaining savings of nearly 50% over traditional energy consumption.”