Feb 24 2011
The headquarters of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) is going green by implementing an 80 panel solar PV array on it’s roof-top with the help of PURE Energies in Toronto’s Don Mills area and is thus becoming eligible for the micro Feed-in-Tariff (microFIT) Program, which comes under the Green Energy Act.
This would provide renewable energy to the power grid in Ontario. The solar paneled rooftop would generate about 15,000 kW of electricity on an annual basis, and is the next immediate step in the greening plan of the headquarters building, which has been upgraded thoroughly for energy efficiency. It now has a host of motion sensors, set back switches and timers installed all over the 20,000 square foot building.
According to the Minister of Energy, the Honorable Brad Duguid, the state’s plan of action was to create clean green jobs and opportunities for families and businesses all over Ontario while upgrading the energy system.
This solar installation not only generates revenue for the partners but also helps Ontario to reach its targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus offers a model for other residential home builders to emulate, inside the GTA and in Ontario. PURE Energies’ Vice President of Builder Relations, Chris Stern, stated that they were actively waiting for the adoption of PURE Energies solar technology by the whole building industry for increasing the value of the homes at no cost either to the homeowner or to the builder.
The 2009 EnerQuality Leader of the Year award had been bestowed on BILD for its leadership qualities. The Association had also moved forward in their greening plans by including several proactive green initiatives such as training partnerships, green education and demonstration projects such as the Archetype Sustainable House. BILD has also been selected to participate in the Local Energy Efficiency Partnership/ Technology Adoption Pilot with three other Ontario HBAs. This program is sponsored by Natural Resources Canada and is administered by EnerQuality.