HVAC in West Lethbridge

West Lethbridge at a glance

West Lethbridge, or the Westside, is one of the city's three areas and its newest and fastest growing, with about 40,900 people. It's home to the University of Lethbridge and is mostly residential.

What that means for your heating

Because the first housing here wasn't built until 1974, most Westside homes have forced-air furnaces and ducts, and many are now reaching the age when a first or second furnace replacement is due. Newer neighbourhoods often have high-efficiency equipment. See furnace replacement.

Coulees and wind

The Westside sits on the high ground inside a loop of the Oldman River, with coulees running down to the valley. Homes on the edge of the coulees catch the full force of the wind, which pulls heat through drafts and leaky ducts. Sealing helps. The Oldman River loops around the Westside on three sides, and the first bridge across the river opened in November 1890.

Built as villages

The 1969 city plan recommended growth west across the river, and a planning report proposed building the Westside as "villages", each with a school, a major park and a commercial centre, covering about a square mile with two neighbourhoods of roughly 6,000 people. Fewer than 70 people lived here in 1971; by 1972 there were 254, the year the university moved in. Today neighbourhoods such as Copperwood, Heritage Heights, Riverstone and Varsity Village span several decades of building. Homes from different decades need different care: older furnaces need safety checks, and newer high-efficiency ones need clear vents and drains.