Renewable Energy Technologies

In 2004, the city of Edmonton launched a community based strategy called CO2RE (Carbon Dioxide Reduction Edmonton) to permanently reduce local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to encourage the use of renewable energy resources (solar, wind and earth).

Meccabuild embraces the initiatives taken by the city of Edmonton with our innovative home building process and materials that will usher in a new generation of eco-friendly homes. The results of our innovation enable us to implement eco-friendly technologies into every Meccabuild home at market values people have come to expect from a regular home. Essentially, we have taken the high cost out of the early-adoption equation so everyone can enjoy the benefits of living in an eco-friendly home. Our philosophy in building an eco-friendly home comes in 2 processes:

A. Energy Conservation

Finding methods to reduce energy consumption can have a significant impact in reducing your energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Dollar for dollar, conservation is the best way to save energy and money. Some easy tips to reduce energy use are to turn off unused lights, unplug unused appliances, installing LED or compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, upgrading windows and re-caulking broken seals. As part of our way to help you save energy and reduce your costs, each Meccabuild home comes standard with the following energy conservation
and eco-friendly features:

  • Energy saving LED and CFL bulbs throughout
  • Dual flush toilets and low flow faucets
  • Low-emmissivity double-glazed windows
  • Foam insulation
  • Luxurious and eco-friendly SIlestone slab countertops
  • Envrionmentally friendly carpet and underlay
  • Water based interior paint with low VOC content

B. Renewable Energy Technologies

1. SOLAR PANEL TECHNOLOGY (STANDARD FEATURE ON ALL MECCABUILD HOMES)
Solar panel technology comes as a standard feature on all Meccabuild homes. As a result, there is already a savings of $30,000 or more in materials and installation cost. Also, additional savings can be realized through annual reduction in energy costs. For example, our showhome at the Fields of Summerside with solar panel technology generates on average of 4950 Kilowatt hours of energy annually which reduces energy costs by $495 each year. Carbon dioxide emissions are also substantially reduced by about 6 tonnes per year.

How it works
Solar panels are installed on the roof of the house. Installation would vary in each city — for instance, in Edmonton, solar panels are installed facing south and angled at about 54 degrees to be optimally effective. The solar panels absorb the sun’s abundant energy and convert it into electricity which can be used in your home immediately, stored in batteries or fed back to the electricity grid for others to use.

2. WIND TURBINE TECHNOLOGY
Wind turbines are becoming more common in areas that have abundant wind resources. Meccabuild offers personal wind turbine technology as an option in all our homes to harness the kinetic energy of the wind. The biggest benefit is it produces the most energy during winter seasons when wind speeds are strongest offsetting the exact time when energy costs are usually highest.

How it works
The strength of the wind propels the rotors mounted to a personal wind turbine. This kinetic energy is then converted to electricity which can be used in your home immediately, stored in batteries or fed back to the electricity grid for others to use. On average, personal wind turbines require wind speeds greater than 14.5km/h (4.0 m/s) to be cost effective.

3. GEO-THERMAL TECHNOLOGY
Meccabuild offers geo-thermal technology as an option in all our homes. A few metres beneath ground level, the temperature stays relatively constant at 6C in Alberta. This consistent warm temperature within the earth allows geo-thermal technology to tap into a abundant source of renewable earth energy.

How it works
Geo-thermal technology is used to convert this natural earth energy to renewable energy. A ground source heat pump (GSHP) gathers the earth energy through a series of pipes under the ground and pumps a fluid through them. The heat is then removed from the fluid and concentrated to be used for heating in your home or your hot water. The annual gas savings is slightly offset by increased electrical costs to run the geo-thermal system. However, as gas prices increase and gas supplies decrease, geo-thermal technology will be a great sustainable choice to save energy.