St. Thomas - Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for
Elgin-Middlesex-London, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of
Natural Resources, announced today that the Government will provide funding of
$40,000 over two years for a pilot project to incorporate renewable energy in
new homes.
"Canada's New Government is proud to be a partner in this project, which will
showcase how progressive builders can promote renewable energy technology in the
homes they build," said Mr. Preston. "Its success will raise interest in the
home-building industry and will hopefully lead many other builders to promote
renewable energy."
Over the next 18 months, Doug Tarry Homes Limited, a home builder in St.
Thomas, Ontario, will build about 100 "Solar Ready" homes. These homes will have
the rough-in for solar hot-water panels done during construction. Home buyers
can choose to have the panels installed immediately or wait and install them at
a later date at a reduced retrofit cost because the homes were built to be ready
for solar energy. Solar Ready also gives buyers of new homes a more efficient
and environmentally responsible home choice.
"This project will allow home buyers to save from 40 to 50 percent
on their home heating and hot-water energy bills, when compared with homes built
to conventional codes in Ontario," said Doug Tarry Jr., Director of
Marketing and co-owner of Doug Tarry Homes.
Doug Tarry Homes already meets ENERGY STAR® levels of performance in its new
homes. ENERGY STAR is the international symbol of energy efficiency. The ENERGY
STAR Initiative in Canada is administered by Natural Resources Canada.
Natural Resources Canada's funding will go toward integrating Solar Ready
into the construction process and to promote Solar Ready to builders and buyers
of new homes
This announcement highlights the Government of Canada's commitment to
reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions - delivering real change and
real results for Canadians.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
The Government of Canada is funding a pilot project in St. Thomas, Ontario,
to show home buyers how they can save from 40 to 50 percent on home heating
and hot-water energy bills. The project involves building about 100 homes that
are ready to have solar energy installed.
For more information, media may contact:
Ghyslain CharronMedia RelationsNatural Resources
CanadaOttawa613-992-4447
Kathleen OlsonActing Director of CommunicationsOffice of the
MinisterNatural Resources
CanadaOttawa613-996-2007
And general public may contact:Mon-Fri, 8:30-4:30 EDTTelephone:
613-995-0947TTY: 613-996-4397(teletype for the hearing-impaired)
E-mail: questions@nrcan.gc.ca
NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.
