Celebrating the future - Major milestones at Blatchford

Let’s talk about what makes Blatchford different.

A strong vision ✔
Sustainability goals ✔
A forward-thinking energy strategy ✔
A District Energy Sharing System ✔

Blatchford recently celebrated two major milestones that demonstrate how we are doing things differently: the completion of the first Energy Centre for the District Energy Sharing System and the start of construction of the first sustainably-designed townhomes.

The Mayor, Councillor Esslinger and our first home builders were on hand to cut the ribbon at the first Energy Centre in the community. This building is a key component of the District Energy Sharing System, which uses a geoexchange field to harness the shallow geothermal energy below the earth’s surface to provide environmentally-friendly heating, cooling and hot water to buildings through a centralized energy system.

In addition to holding the District Energy Sharing System’s mechanical equipment, Energy Centre One (above) was also designed to be a civic building that is a showpiece for sustainability and a prominent part of the community.

But what does this mean for the environment?

In any community, let alone one the size of Blatchford, energy use has a significant impact on the environment. Blatchford’s energy strategy is based on three linked components:

• Conservation through high-performance buildings
• Efficiency through a District Energy Sharing System
• Renewables through the use of geoexchange, sewer heat exchange & solar photovoltaic

Based on this comprehensive strategy, approximately 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions (for heating, cooling and hot water) will be emitted in Blatchford in comparison to a typical Edmonton community. This is a big deal!

Now that the community's first Energy Centre is complete, we are ready to provide our environmentally-friendly utility services to our first customers - our home builders! Mutti Homes has started construction on their contemporary Tarmac Townhomes and our other builders, Carbon Busters, Ocheller by RedBrick and Encore Master Builder, are also gearing up to start construction.

Truly sustainable developments are ambitious and require commitment, partnerships, creativity and innovation. Achieving Blatchford’s vision will not only benefit future generations of residents but will also demonstrate Edmonton’s leadership in sustainable community design and will inspire others to follow in our path.