We knew an ordinary chateau was not enough. We’re creating a place where people will want to spend a significant amount of time while enjoying great wine from their own vineyard.
LEONA SNIDER - CEO, THE RISE
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The Rise Cuts Energy Costs As Terasen Utility Services Covers Capital Expenditure of GeoExchange Energy for Home-owners
Lower heating costs achieved by harnessing the power of the Earth’s core
April 18, 2006, Vernon – Home-owners at The Rise (www.TheRise.ca), the Okanagan’s premier golf and winery resort, will be significantly lowering their energy costs with a new environmentally-friendly heating technology fuelled by geothermal energy. With oil and gas prices hitting all time highs, The Rise is implementing a GeoExchange heating and cooling system for its 660 resort residences. GeoExchange systems are known as geothermal or ground source heat pumps.
GeoExchange systems use the ground as a thermal battery. Fluid runs through loops of plastic pipe buried in the ground. In winter, with the help of a GeoExchange heat pump, heat is extracted from the relatively warmer ground and transferred into a house. In summer, the process is reversed and the same equipment cools the house by transferring heat into the ground. The cost for GeoExchange is paid off in four to five years based on the savings on natural gas and electricity costs at current rates. Factoring in forecasted increases in natural gas prices, these pay-back periods should be even further reduced.
Typically GeoExchange systems have higher start up costs than conventional gas heated furnaces so The Rise has partnered with Terasen Utility Services. Terasen is paying the capital costs of installing and maintaining the groundsource loops necessary to enable thermal energy to be transferred to the home in return for charging residents a fixed monthly fee linked only to increases in the Consumer Price Index. According to a June 2005 report by GeoExchange BC, using GeoExchange energy this way is 48% more efficient than natural gas heating, and 30 to 50% less expensive to operate.
Terasen Utility Services (TUS) has developed an affiliation with GeoTility Systems Corp (GSC). GSC is Western Canada's leading industry team of GeoExchange professionals and together TUS & GSC are designing & implementing the GeoExchange energy system at The Rise.
The Rise is setting a high standard for sustainability and its homeowners will benefit from a system that is economical, environmentally sustainable, and adds to property values. Renewable power is one of seven central principles at the heart of The Rise’s sustainability strategy. GeoExchange energy is the highlight of this strategy. Natural Resources Canada and the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States have recognized GeoExchange systems as one of the most efficient heating and cooling systems available. These systems use significantly less energy, produce fewer greenhouse gases and cost less to operate.
Go to http://www.therise.ca/geoExchange for web animation on how GeoExchange systems work. When at the site, click on the GeoExchange tab.
GeoExchange BC, is a multi-agency group established to promote geothermal technology, and its June 2005 report stated a geo exchange program reduces greenhouse gas emissions by almost two thirds and use up to 70% less electricity than conventional electric heat/cooling systems.
Additional information from the report includes:
- 75% greater efficiency than oil furnaces
- In B.C. alone, it's estimated that, on average, more than 14,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions could be saved annually if only 1% of the B.C. new or retrofit market could be captured
- Average total maintenance costs are one-third less that of conventional systems
Natural Resources Canada has stated that GeoExchange systems are the most benign technology today in terms of environmental impact. GeoExchange systems reduce emissions of pollutants and green house gases such as CO2, Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrous Oxides. When a GeoExchange system is used in an average home, it is equivalent to removing two cars from the road or planting an acre of trees. The GeoExchange System is rapidly gaining popularity in other areas of BC.
“The GeoExchange system addresses today’s need for lower energy costs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” says Leona Snider, president of The Rise, “Today’s buyers are very savvy about sustainability issues and offering a solution that combats rising energy costs and reduces green house gas emissions is both practical and attractive.”
The Rise will be launching its reservation program for the second season of home site releases this spring. Those interested should visit www.TheRise.ca or call 1-866 400 4251 to register. Those who register will receive notification of the reservation policy and additional release dates.