Alberta’s biggest builder mandates solar

June 14, 2019

Alberta’s largest home builder, Jayman BUILT, has mandated roof solar panels this year, which it says will lower energy costs, help with home affordability and increase the resale values of new homes.
All single-family homes Jayman builds in 2019 will come with solar panels. The initiative builds on years of energy-efficient upgrades including a new hot water system, low-flow fixtures, LED lighting, triple-pane windows, heat recovery ventilation and a furnace that uses 30 per cent less energy, the company said. “Solar is just another part of this evolution,” according to Jayman President Dave Desormeaux.
On average, Jayman builds 750 single-family homes annually. Each six-panel solar system will cost around $5,000—offset by a rebate from the province.
“This rebate definitely helped us make our final decision to include solar; it made the economics work,” Desormeaux said.
“[It] required very little investment, just planning and some risk taking” for what Desormeaux calls “significant increased demand” and a growing market share.
The panels are forecast to reduce a homeowner’s energy costs on a typical new detached house by about $200 a year.
“Given the tough economy in Alberta, most of our competitors have literally downgraded their GHG (greenhouse gas) reducing features. This gap is our opportunity,” he added.