Future growth in some municipalities in Simcoe County will see populations double by 2050. No one is talking about the impact of that growth on the environment. New development must be environmentally sustainable to enhance both our health and the health of the planet.
Standard new development construction usually includes separate natural gas furnaces and air conditioners (AC) in every home, both using fossil fuels. We need to stop using fossil fuels. At the very least, new homes should be built with more efficient heat pumps that replace both furnaces and ACs, have electrical capacity for electric vehicles, and have induction cooktops, if appliances are provided.
There is, potentially, an even more efficient solution than building every home with furnaces and ACs. When building large subdivisions, there could be a central source for heating and cooling and electricity for the entire community. It's known as district energy.
District energy is a central facility that generates and stores its own electricity and distributes heating and cooling to every home and the community. The electricity generation uses ground heat that ultimately generates electricity. Homes have a heat exchanger to heat water, distribute the heat or cool the air.
Another option is installing solar roofs on every home in the community, with the excess electricity stored centrally in batteries and redistributed as needed.
The advantage of these systems is the elimination of devices that burn natural (fossil) gas in individual homes. As an example, a 1,000-home community would save $25 million gross by eliminating the cost of installing natural gas supply lines, furnaces and ACs in every home, based on an average cost of $25,000 per home. And for homeowners, this could reduce utility costs $500 to $3,000 per year, according to Clean Energy Canada. In southern Ontario, the savings for just natural gas could be $259 per month or $3,100 annually, according to Ontario Energy Board.
Markham District Energy's system serves 240 residential, commercial (including an IBM Data Centre) and institutional buildings. The cost to establish this system was $11 million. Its reliability has been 99 per cent for both heating and cooling from sources such as geothermal wastewater. This system has resulted in reducing 30,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent to eliminating 6,500 gas cars annually.
According to the Climate Institute of Canada, Canada has over 200 district energy facilities supplying about three per cent of the total heating demand in Canada. Europe has over 19,000 cities and towns serving 77 million people, with an individual household operating cost of roughly $160 per month.
As municipalities ready themselves for significant growth, there is an opportunity to build better and cheaper. Let's do it right for a healthier and more sustainable environment, and for future generations to enjoy.
Jorma Ikavalko is a member of Greys for Green in New Tecumseth. He is passionate about promoting clean energy uses in all facets of life and is happy to share his experience with installing a heat pump at home and driving an EV. Contact Greys for Green at contactus@greysforgreen.org or follow on social media.
