WARNING: Free Heat Causes Housewarming

So it's been over a month since I last blogged. At least part of the reason (procrastination and laziness aside) is that I've been quite busy, among other things working with my long-time friend and colleague Michael Lekowitz on a Housewarming Party. Lewkowitz is CEO of Clean Energy Developments (CED), a company that develops clean energy systems for homes and buildings using a combination of geo-exchange and solar-thermal technologies.

On February 24, along with Marshall Homes and the Canadian Geoexchange Coalition, CED hosted the launch - dubbed a housewarming party - of the STREAM system, the first clean energy system specifically designed for quick and easily installation in production (new, subdivision) homes that uses both solar-thermal and geo-exchange energy. Based on much the same principle as your refrigerator, these systems simply exchange heat with their surroundings through roof-mounted solar collectors and geoexchange loops (again, like your refrigerator) installed about 175 feet below ground.

Ontario Energy Minister Donna Cansfield and Oshawa Mayor John Grey were among almost 100 special guests, and I suspect (and certainly hope!) there will be more to come from CED.

In the meantime, see what others have had to say:

Toronto Star columnist Tyler Hamilton's blog, Clean Break
Toronto Star Article by Tracy Hanes
National Post Article by Lisa Van de Ven