Building Buzz NEWS AND MOVES FROM THE INDUSTRY
Minto’s North York Condos marks the builder’s foray into geoexchange energy.
BURIED TREASURE
Minto, Camrost Felcorp buzzing over innovative new projects You don’t exactly have to look under the surface to notice how stoked Minto and Camrost Felcorp are about their latest projects—although under the surface is precisely the source of that enthusiasm. While both have sourced underground energy to help power the way, theirs are two very different systems, at very different depths. Renowned for its energy-efficient designs, Minto Communities’ North Oak Condos at its master-planned Oakvillage community in Oakville marks the builder’s first geoexchange energy system. Geoexchange systems have long been used in Nordic countries as ohba.ca
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alternative energy sources, though in Canada they have primarily been used to improve performance of single-family homes. While geothermal relies on energy generated and stored deep within the earth—often generated from volcanic activity near tectonic plate boundaries—geoexchange relies on energy stored within the earth at a much shallower depth—primarily generated from solar radiation. Geoexchange technology leverages stable underground temperatures to provide heating or cooling year-round, substantially reducing the amount of fossil fuels required. It involves installing a closed-loop
system of underground pipes (somewhere between 500 and 800 feet, in Minto’s case). In the winter, cold water circulated through the geoexchange field draws heat from the earth. High-efficiency mechanical systems then leverage this consistent heat in order to warm the buildings above. Conversely, in summer, heat is extracted from the building and circulated through the pipes, allowing the cooler temperatures returning from the geoexchange field to be used to provide air conditioning. This minimizes the use of cooling towers that consume large amounts of energy and water. While it reduces carbon emissions ONTARIO HOME BUILDER LATE SPRING 2021
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