Solar-heated subdivision’s first residents move in
How well do you know 78 of your closest neighbors. It sounds like this is a first of it’s kind. But the government had to kick in 1.1 million to cover the cost overrun of this experiment. It will be interesting to see if this type of cost sharing will be effective in the long run to knock the implementation cost down. This project takes place just outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada. And here’s the details.
Rooftop panels will heat homes, water in Okotoks’ Drake Landing Solar Community Sarah McGinnis
CanWest News Service
Monday, April 03, 2006
Despite construction delays, technical glitches and last year’s floods, families are moving into North America’s first solar-heated subdivision, in Okotoks.
Most of the homes in the Drake Landing Solar Community have been sold, and three families have taken possession of their state-of-the-art houses, said Sterling Homes spokesman Keith Paget.
“This is the first neighbourhood of its kind in North America, and the first in the world that will produce 90 per cent of space heating from solar energy,” said Doug McClenahan, manager of solar research and development for Natural Resources Canada. “There will be people all over the world keeping an eye on this project.”
The 52-unit subdivision features solar panels on rooftops that will generate energy to heat the homes and water tanks. Each house comes with a five-year agreement; owners agree to pay $60 per month for heat.
So far, all 32 homes put on the market have been pre-sold. Sterling Homes will sell four or five more houses every month to keep pace with the construction schedule, Paget said.
The company is also looking at creating another solar-powered community, in Calgary, he said.
Seeing people purchase the energy-efficient buildings is a big relief, said Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine, who admitted there was some concern about consumer appetite for the specialty homes.
High energy prices are making many homeowners consider solar power.
“Every week, something comes out that is a little more efficient,” McAlpine said. “I think they will be able to develop (solar panels) cheaper down the road and it will become a viable alternative.”
The Okotoks development, which could become a model for similar communities across North America, appeared to be in jeopardy last month, due to a $1.2-million deficit.
Flooding in June meant the sites had to be pumped out twice, aggravating labour shortages and other construction delays, said McAlpine.
There was also difficulty acquiring some of the materials necessary to make the solar heating system work.
Natural Resources Canada offered an additional $600,000 and Alberta Environment contributed $500,000 this month to help cover the cost overruns.
© The Edmonton Journal 2006