As we start construction on the 5 remaining geothermal lots at Woodland Creek in the town of Sooke, a waterfront community close to Victoria BC, we can truly say that the innovative approach we took to new home construction has paid off.  It has paid off for the homeowners, the environment, the community, and our employees and trades.

Homeowners that purchased the first new homes 4 years ago were risk takers.  As early adopters they were willing to try something relatively new. While an established technology elsewhere in the world, individual geothermal or geoexchange systems for single family homes was fairly new to Vancouver Island and definitely a first in Sooke.  These homeowners have now benefited from lower energy consumption (over $1,000 per year) and a cleaner, greener, and healthier living environment.  Their investment in a geothermal home will increase their resale value and will continue to pay financial and environmental dividends into the future.

The community of Sooke and environment have benefited from a leading edge residential subdivision with a smaller carbon foot print.  With an average reduction in energy consumption of about 11,000 kilowatts per home, together each year, homeowners in the subdivision have consumed over 300,000 kilowatts hours less in energy and reduced carbon emissions by 210 tonnes.  Imagine that in 10 years the subdivision will have saved 3 million kilowatt hours of energy – that’s 3 megawatts!

Our employees and participating trades have had a long term education in new technology and building green.  By using the geothermal systems and employing Built Green accreditation and Energuide rating along with waste reduction, sorting, and recycling, everyone one has been part of a journey of continual improvement.  We continue to see this with our team as we adopt new building techniques, use new materials, and adapt to the introduction of the new building code.

We took a risk as a developer to invest in an expensive geothermal project, but we think we have achieved a triple bottom line return socially, environmentally, and financially – and that’s made it all the worthwhile.

Here’s a look back at the start of it all….

 

Here are 5 key benefits of a Geothermal System.

Lower Operating Costs – Because geothermal systems operate more efficiently than ordinary heating and air conditioning systems, annual operating costs are in the range of 30% to 60% lower then other heating and cooling systems. Geothermal operating costs are approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of electric baseboard heat.

Environmentally Friendly – Geothermal systems eliminate the combustion of fossil fuels on site and dramatically reduce the need to generate power – thereby lowering emissions of greenhouse gases and the environmental damage associated with non-renewable resource extraction.

Comfort – Because geothermal systems use the relatively stable temperature of the earth as an energy source, you are assured of constant, even heating in winter and better humidity control in the summer. Geothermal systems eliminate the need for exhaust venting, reducing the number of penetrations in the building envelope and improving weather tightness.

Safety – No flame, no flue, no odours, no risk from carbon monoxide. Just safe, reliable operation year after year.

Quiet – The completely self-contained indoor equipment does not need a noisy, unsightly outside condensing unit. Geothermal systems are quiet and discrete. Other than the lower energy bills, you will hardly know they are there

For more information about new Geothermal Homes at Woodland Creek contact us here.

 

About Totangi Properties Ltd. and Woodland Creek

Celebrating their 47th year in business, Totangi Properties is a locally-owned and operated award winning property development and land management company established in 1968. In 2014 Totangi was ranked #1 in Canada for Customer Satisfaction by Avid Ratings. Brothers Warren and Blair Robertson and their team work closely with the 2012 Built Green Builder of the Year, SC Smith Building Company, in the creation of Woodland Creek and are committed to creating affordable, high-quality residential properties with lasting homeowner value.

2012 Gold CARE Award winner for Best New Subdivision, Woodland Creek is a residential neighbourhood of new homes in the heart of Sooke, British Columbia – a waterfront community near Victoria BC. A planned residential community, Woodland Creek was designed with the objective of providing a wide range of new housing opportunities for the community; close to schools, parks and the Sooke shopping and service core with the fundamental commitments of quality construction, lasting value and the long term commitment of an established local developer.

For more information, visit www.totangi.ca .