The Carbon Zero* Century Begins

In pursuit of zero carbon future, Fairmont Royal York has just completed the largest heritage hotel retrofit in North America – achieving a *Zero Carbon Building – Performance Standard™ certification by the Canada Green Building Council. This transformative project will reduce our building’s carbon emissions by over 7,000 tonnes every year the equivalent of taking 1,558 cars off the road.

How did we do it?

Cooling is provided by cool water from deep in Lake Ontario, through connection to Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system, replacing centrifugal chillers. Heating and hot water comes from an electric heat pump installation plant; legacy steam systems have been decommissioned. Other innovations in energy management systems optimize efficiency. The project removes 80% of direct emissions from building operations (the remaining emissions will be addressed with offsets certified by Carbon Zero).

This crowning achievement is proof of concept: even large legacy buildings can transition for the sustainable century ahead. It’s a major boost of confidence for the skyline, our city, and our industry.