Goal of the project
The Matsqui complex was served by an aging central heating plant distributing hot water to facilities across the campus through a buried thermal network. The complex — comprising Matsqui Institution, Pacific Institution, and the Fraser Valley Institution for Women — received hot water through piping located four to five feet below grade. Persistent operational challenges with the buried distribution network ultimately made continued reliance on the central system untenable.
The solution was decentralization: new permanent boiler plants installed at several facilities across the campus, with new boiler houses constructed adjacent to some buildings, allowing the existing central heat-distribution piping to be taken out of service. KCx Engineering was retained to commission and balance the new boiler plants and deliver the supporting O&M documentation.
How did KCx achieve goal
Working within an active federal correctional facility imposed constraints on every aspect of the work. Site access required security clearance and escorted movement throughout, and testing had to be carried out within restricted work windows dictated by institutional operations — a schedule that left no room for rework or return visits.
Beyond the new plants themselves, the project surfaced a range of control system issues across the existing buildings, spanning both hardware and software. Identifying and resolving these was essential: new boiler plants can only deliver their intended performance if the downstream systems they serve are controlling correctly. KCx worked through these deficiencies alongside the commissioning and balancing scope, verifying that each new plant integrated properly with the building systems it was replacing central heat for.
The result is a set of commissioned, balanced, and documented boiler plants that allow each facility to operate independently of the campus thermal network.