Reducing the tekmar Carbon Footprint

We not only promote energy savings but we also live it. In 2002, we built a state-of-the art 60,000 square foot facility, as a prime example of how “system thinking” can guide the design and construction of a durable, energy efficient and very functional building. The HVAC system includes radiant floor heating and variable air volume cooling supplied by ground source heat pumps. In addition, the building incorporates extra insulation, shading of south-facing windows, and multiple lighting levels to improve energy efficiency. The building also acts as a test-bed for future tekmar HVAC technologies and controls.

This complete system approach, which combines smart controls with good building design, has achieved impressive results that have been sustained through five years of monitoring. The tekmar building uses less than one quarter of the energy and has one fifth of the carbon footprint of other buildings in its class and climate zone.

In an independent Building Performance Study done in 2008 our energy intensity was calculated as 94.5 ekWh/m2 and our Greenhouse Gas Emission intensity was calculated as 5.1 kgCO2/m2

That's 22% better than any similar sized building with similar activities.*

To reduce cooling loads in the summer, the tekmar roof is designed to capture rain water or be flooded with about 3 inches of water. Heat from the building evaporates the water and reduces the cooling load substantially.

*Energy intensity benchmark figures from two studies done by the Government of Canada: the 2005 CICES (Commercial and Institutional Consumption of Energy Survey) and the 2001 CIBEUS (Commercial and Institutional Building Energy Use Survey). CIBEUS - Similar Building Size and Activity is 428.1 ekWh/m2 and CICES - Similar Size in Buildings in Canada is 389.2 eKWh/m2