On November 15th, the City of Markham, in partnership with Mattamy Homes Canada and Enwave Energy Corporation announced a ground-breaking collaboration. Together, they will research and design a pilot neighbourhood of approximately 300 homes, serviced by a community-scale distributed geothermal energy system for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. Grant funding has been provided by The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) for design activities.
The City of Markham has set out to become a net-zero emissions city by 2050. To achieve this ambitious target, the Municipal Energy Plan - Getting to Zero includes strategies for increasing and improving energy efficiency through implementing green technology, energy conservation and efficiency in all sectors of Markham.
Markham will welcome Canada's largest geothermal net-zero emissions community, which will have the potential to transform the residential housing market. The community's heating and cooling system will be maintained, operated and delivered by Enwave Energy Corporation.
Located in north Markham, the community will utilize deep wells up to 250 metres, allowing the community to tap into geothermal energy. Heating and cooling will be delivered at the neighborhood level, through a single common ambient pipe buried underneath the community and connected to each home, similar to that of an electrical grid. The system will be maintained and operated by Enwave's team of expert engineers, who will ensure the system is efficient and reliable.
This community scale model boasts several benefits to the consumer, including: greater energy efficiency through optimization; increased energy savings to consumers; reduced maintenance burden and costs; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. All of these benefits will increase comfort and convenience for residents.
Upon completion of the pilot, the model may be applied to future phases of the Mattamy development. The best practices and lessons learned from this unique partnership will help advance geothermal community energy systems across the GTA and beyond.
Construction of this new community is expected to begin in 2020.
Quotes:
"This is first major step to achieving our goal of becoming net-zero water, waste and emissions community by 2050, and this one of many innovative initiatives you will see with development partners. Markham is a municipal leader in energy conservation and management. This project will set the standard for a new way of thinking about how we generate and distribute energy in North America." -- Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham
"Mattamy Homes is privileged to be a partner with the City of Markham and Enwave in this innovative project. This forward-thinking business model, where the burden of optimizing advanced heating and cooling equipment is transferred from the home owner to a private entity, will contribute to job creation and drive innovation adoption in the housing industry. Mattamy has a long history of leadership in homebuilding innovation, and we see this partnership as clearly aligned with our sustainability and innovation strategy." -- Brad Carr, CEO, Mattamy Homes Canada.
"Our goal is to provide superior service to the customer, the residents of this community. Together with our partners, we are introducing an innovative approach to community-building, enhancing residents' comfort, energy security and experience by putting their needs first. Only through collaboration and partnership with the municipality, the developer, and supporting organizations are we able to develop a new model for low-carbon communities that is scalable and unlocks tremendous value for all." -- Carlyle Coutinho, President & COO, Enwave Energy Corporation East Region
"Almost half of our region's carbon emissions come from the gas and electricity used in buildings. In order to meet our climate targets, we need innovative policies, technologies and business models that will facilitate development of low-carbon buildings and communities. That's why TAF supports municipalities like the City of Markham, leading the way with this trail-blazing initiative." - Julia Langer, CEO, The Atmospheric Fund
