Green Energy for home heating it here

April 22, 2006

The year is 2036, and the living is green. Discreetly placed solar panels are found everywhere -- on rooftops, in walls and embedded in our driveways and patios -- anywhere they can catch a few rays.

Homes are maintained at a constant and comfortable temperature by the geothermal energy systems dug into our backyards.

Wind-driven generators send electricity to the power grid and, if needed, to our homes.

Voice-activated home computers control the levels of light and heat, and give guidance to a generation of high-efficiency home appliances.

Fossil fuels have been priced beyond the reach of the average homeowner.

"I believe it is going to happen," says Mike Pelton of Enermodal Engineering. "There's a lot of activity in the green building business now.

"In the last three to five years, there's been a significant shift in interest. Environmental issues are becoming more pressing. We are definitely seeing something happening."

Enermodal is a Kitchener-based consulting company that specializes in the planning and design of energy-efficient and environment-friendly buildings. It works with the demanding standards set by the U.S.-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program -- and according to Pelton, business has never been better.

While Enermodal specializes in large industrial and commercial projects, other small-scale builders are rethinking the way people live and considering energy-saving features for our homes.

"The changes will come remarkably quickly once we become accustomed to these things," says Paul Parker, a University of Waterloo geography professor who is a strong advocate for the green lifestyle.

"We are on the cutting edge. Right now we've got one-half of one per cent of the population involved with green technology -- but when you consider the size of Waterloo Region, that's a lot of people. That's more than 2,000 people who are thinking about it and doing something about it.

"And now that we've got the half- per cent, we go for one per cent, and then five per cent, and then 10 per cent -- and once you've got 10 per cent of population, this is into the mainstream."

A trickle of houses built with green ideas has come on to the market. Many more existing homes -- nobody knows how many -- have been retrofitted to some degree to use what the sun, the wind and the ground freely offer.

The renovations may have involved adding insulation -- insulation made from straw bales, recycled newspapers or steel-industry by products. Or they may have involved the installation of energy-efficient windows.

Solar panels to generate electricity or heat water are an option and power-generating windmills are going up on roofs and in backyards.

Sometimes, energy efficiency can be as simple as using south-facing windows to catch heat from the sun, even on the coldest winter day, then shading those windows to block the summer heat and keep the home cool.

"You can use the sun's warmth naturally and depend on the sun for natural day lighting," says Kitchener architect David Thompson, who specializes in environment-friendly projects.

"It's not uncommon for a client to come to me and say they want to be off the (power) grid, or at least partially off the grid," he says.

"It's all about taking a holistic approach to building, with a minimum effect on the environment. It's an integrated design approach."

Once the economically-driven demand for energy-efficient homes takes a firmer hold in the housing market, the large-scale builders are certain to follow.

Right now, the demand isn't there, says Waterloo homebuilder Ian Cook.

"The question is, what will trigger builders to adapt energy efficient features into their houses? It will have to be driven by consumers. When the consumers start asking for it, the builders will put it in."

At some point in time, Cook adds, there needs to be a recognition by government that electricity is a commodity that needs to be sold at market rates. That may be about to happen in Ontario, but in recent years electricity costs remain artificially low.

"Until that changes, we're not going to see a whole lot of effort by the builders."

Before buyer attitudes change, Cook says, they must appreciate not only the energy savings that come with the new technology, but recover the cost of it when they resell their homes.

At one new Cook Homes subdivision in Waterloo, several buyers opted to upgrade with rooftop solar panels -- a mini trend that advocates for the green lifestyle hope catches on.

"We want this to become commonplace -- not demonstration sites," says Mary Jane Patterson, the manager of the Residential Energy and Efficiency Program (REEP) in Kitchener.

A joint venture involving the University of Waterloo and the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence, the program advises local homeowners on energy efficiency.

But while going green is good, Patterson says, until recently it hasn't been all that marketable as a concept. Now, however, it seems more and more to be simply the right thing to do.

Conservation, after all, cuts costs.

"Rising energy costs are a big motivator for a lot of people," Patterson says.

Making the switch to green home construction won't come cheap.

"If economic forces are pushing people into this, that's fine. But right now there's just too many barriers to keep this from becoming widespread, says Jessica Fisher, outreach co-ordinator for the Residential Energy and Efficiency Program.

"Cost is a big barrier, and the selling process is the other," she says.

"We're talking about a major shift in society here. It needs to be sold to consumers in a way that makes sense to consumers. It seems as if all the pieces have been disjointed."

At least for now, there is no packaged prescription for going green.

Advocates of the green lifestyle were heartened this month by reports from northern California's Silicon Valley that venture capitalists are beginning to invest in the companies that specialize in clean energy -- the so-called green-tech or clean-tech sector.

With the global demand for clean energy on the rise, some investors are calling "green-tech" the next big thing.

Going green can be as cheap and easy as switching to fluorescent light bulbs and as complex and expensive as digging out to install geothermal heating and cooling systems.

Still, geothermal conversions are becoming more and more common.

Dave Hatherton, founder of Elmira-based NextEnergy Geothermal Solutions, says there are at least one million earth-energy systems already in place throughout North America and companies he has been involved with over the past 25 years have installed 300,000 of them.

But the buildings that have them don't look any different. "It's real easy not to be seen," he says.

Going geothermal has never been easier for local homeowners, now that NextEnergy has partnered with publicly owned Waterloo North Hydro in a joint venture called Lifetime Energy. The new company was created to market and finance the systems and so far business has been encouraging, says Lifetime Energy marketing manager Ray Culver.

Lifetime has had 10 confirmed orders since it opened in February and Culver expects there will be 100 in the company's first year. Long-term projections show a steadily increasing demand.

A geothermal system draws heat from the ground.

"It's all about the ability of the earth to absorb energy. The earth is really just a large solar battery," says Hatherton.

Even on a frozen January day there is heat in the ground, he says.

"What we're trying to do is transfer a little bit of that heat and transfer it to the house," he says.

"It's all about heat transfer, or heat exchange. It's like a refrigerator. All a refrigerator does is take the heat that's inside, and pumps it out into the room."

Depending on the lot, geothermal pipes can be installed horizontally, about 1.5 metres below the surface, or drilled vertically, to a depth of almost 60 metres. Water and ethanol are pumped through the pipes to collect the ground's heat and deliver it to the home.

Culver admits the geoscience is difficult to understand and prospective customers are waiting to be convinced it works. And with a price tag that could approach $28,000 per home, buyers have shown some reluctance to commit.

But, he adds, it's never been easier to own such a system. With Lifetime's financing, he says, it will cost the average homeowner about $315 per month to have one installed, plus about $95 worth of electricity every month to drive the pumps. That compares to the one-time cost of a furnace (about $4,000) and monthly natural gas charges.

"I think we're on the cusp of something in this industry. We think that geothermal is just about to take off," Culver says.

"In layman's terms, it's hard to understand the idea of temperature variation, but there are very few people who understand how their TVs or microwaves work, either."

The thing is, adds Hatherton, the move away from fossil fuels is inevitable, and geothermal works.

"We're evolving into a situation where oil and gas are pricing themselves out of the market. What's really nice is that we've got the solutions."

If Waterloo Region goes green, it won't be the first time in recent history that there has been a mass conversion of existing housing stock.

Beginning more than a century ago, changes have been made in our homes to accommodate electricity, indoor plumbing, and natural gas pipes needed to feed the furnace.

And Parker, the UW geography professor, is embracing the coming age.

"Over the past (half) century, homes have become 30 per cent more efficient," he says. "I would expect these improvements to continue. Things will improve at a rate of one or two per cent a year, so in 30 years things will be that much better.

"I believe we will move to the things that are durable and away from the things that are disposable. There will be a much higher emphasis placed on the quality and the reliability of things -- that people won't be running toward the latest computer gadget, but to electronic controls they can use in their living space, in terms of lighting and temperature."

It's easy to imagine.

"The simple first step was the programmable thermostat," Parker says.

"Now we build on that. Voice-activated computers are a coming reality. "Pretty soon your voice will be your PIN number."

As for solar technology, don't give up on it, advises Parker, who has just installed solar panels on his own home.

Lately, solar energy -- and in particular photovoltaic electricity-producing cells -- has had its share of critics, people who say it hasn't met expectations. But it may be too soon to pass judgment.

"The industry is at an interesting stage in its development. It's going to become much more sophisticated than that," says Parker. "I'm sure there's many more breakthroughs waiting for us."

In any event, since buildings will always need roofs and walls, there's no reason not to build them with solar panels, even if they provide the merest amount of heat and electricity.

Giant windmills, it appears now, will evolve into the primary source of electrical power.

"This is an example of where we may be better working as a community than as individuals," says Parker.

In Europe and Japan, people are already moving ahead in the race to a greener lifestyle, but Parker believes North America will catch up.

"I expect that in 10 years an American leader will come forward and say that we will rely on these new technologies -- that we have the technology, and we want to take on the role of leader in this new technology.

"I'm an optimist. We're seeing so many great ideas coming forward now . . . And as people began to see and hear about these new systems, they become less exceptional, and they begin to gain acceptance from the people who were holding back to wait and see.

"We don't need to wait for our kids to make these changes. We can do it ourselves now."

dpink@therecord.com

GREEN STANDARDS OFFER A GUIDE TO BUILDERS

There's no mystery to building green.

It's as simple as following standards set by the U.S.-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED), which are promoted by the Canadian Green Building Council.

Those standards were set in 1998 at the instigation of the U.S. Department of Energy, says Mike Pelton, manager of the Green Building Group at Kitchener-based Enermodal Engineering Ltd., a company that embraced the standards immediately.

"What happened was they began to pull together all the threads of what constituted a green building," Pelton says. "What LEED has done is brought the intangible concepts of a green building to something which is more tangible."

Program standards fall into six broad categories. To meet standards in the site-development category, for example, builders must minimize any storm water run-off and increase urban density and green space. As well, attention is paid to water efficiency. Builders must reduce water consumption and minimize the amount of waste water.

Steps are taken to reduce a building's energy consumption, to make use of renewable energy sources and to eliminate the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.

As well, construction waste is minimized. Waste materials are recycled and salvaged materials are used where possible. Existing building facades, for example, are incorporated into new structures.

Indoors, efforts are made to make use of natural sunlight, to improve the delivery of ventilated air and to allow increased occupant control over workspaces. As well, the cost of heat and light is kept to a minimum.

In addition, any other environment-friendly features that can be incorporated in the building, should be incorporated.

Enermodal does mostly commercial, industrial and institutional work, but has dabbled in the housing market.

Locally, the company is best known for its work on the Waterloo Region Green Home (now a private residence), which was completed in 1992 on Westvale Drive in Waterloo, using the best green technology available at the time.

"If we were to do it all over again, we'd probably do a lot of the same things," Pelton says.

Last year, Enermodal was involved in construction of an energy-efficient fleet facility building for the Region of Waterloo's emergency medical services department. It also helped St. Mary's Hospital in Kitchener to "green-up" its buildings.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY TOURS

Woolwich Township's Healthy Communities Group is presenting three alternative energy tours on Saturday, April 29.

Wind turbine power at a farm on Martin Creek Road, 1.5 kilometres west of the Waterloo Farmers Market off Benjamin Road.

Demonstration of geothermal energy systems at NextEnergy Inc., 35 Earl Martin Dr., Elmira.

Use of solar panels and geothermal energy at the Elmira District Secondary School greenhouse, 4 University Ave., Elmira.

Tours begin at each site every 30 minutes from 2 to 4 p.m. For more details: 664-3534, ext. 230.


GREEN IDEAS

WINDOWS

High-efficiency models with triple-pane glass. Oriented to the south to draw maximum heat and light from the sun.

WIND FARMS

Provide power to electrical grid for delivery to homeowners in cities.

SOLAR PANELS

In roof, exterior walls and about the property, to provide electricity and hot water.

INSULATION

In the roof, walls and basement, with an airtight vapour barrier.

BLINDS

Shield windows on hot summer days to cool home

GEO THERMAL ENERGY SYSTEM

Buried in yard. Warms and cools the home with natural heat found beneath the earth's surface.