A local company was recently recognized for its energy-efficient development.
Trio Projects Ltd. of Parksville won the Single Family Builder award earlier this month at the FortisBC Efficiency in Action awards.
Melissa Tracey, president of of Trio Projects, received the award. She was recognized for choosing the most energy-efficient natural gas appliances available for Tilba Terrace, a 13-unit, single-family home development in Parksville.
The development includes high-efficiency natural gas furnaces, tankless water heaters and EnerChoice fireplaces.
Tracey said it felt fantastic for Trio Projects be recognized for its work on the Tilba Terrace project.
She said tankless water heaters are a little more expensive to the alternative of electric hot water tanks.
Trio Projects aims to make their custom-designed homes more affordable over the long-term.
“I like to know what I’m going to pay monthly for my costs, regardless of what type of energy,” said Tracey, adding that while costs can still fluctuate, gas is a more stable price than hydro.
One of the features in the home, Tracey said, is a hot-on-demand water tank, also known as a tankless water heater.
“I really like the idea of hot-on-demand,” Tracey said. “A small tank gets fired up as it’s needed instead of a big hot water tank which needs to be heated all the time. That’s seems like a giant waste of energy to me.”
Tracey said the tankless water heaters are small and since the homes at Tilba Terrace are smaller, she said she wanted to utilize all of the space.
The awards were held May 4 in Vancouver. FortisBC recognized 11 B.C. organizations for their dedication to conserving energy.
Through the recipients’ combined efforts, they achieved an estimated 120,000 gigajoules of annual natural gas savings, the equivalent of taking approximately 1,200 gasoline-powered cars off the road.
The awards recognize customers who have worked with FortisBC to acheive exceptional energy savings in building construction and improvements to their operations.
Award recipients include businesses of all sizes, as well as municipalities and institutions.
The winning projects are diverse, including community housing, health care and residential buildings from multi-purpose developments to single family.
