Alberta Builder Hits 10-Megawatt Solar Milestone

A homebuilder and a solar installer in Alberta are marking a milestone in sustainable housing: 10 megawatts of solar power generated by nearly 4,000 homes built with rooftop panels.

Since 2018, Jayman Built has constructed 3,964 high-efficiency homes, each topped with a 10-square-metre solar array installed by SkyFire Energy, reports CTV News.

An array of this size can power an average household year round, said Mostafa Farrokhabadi, assistant professor of electrical and software engineering at the University of Calgary. The solar panels also save homeowners money.

Jayman homes feature better insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and heat pumps. Combined with the rooftop solar panels, they can save homeowners an average of C$360 to $400 per year on electricity bills, Jayman’s director of corporate purchasing, Dave Krasman, told trade publication RenxHomes.

Calgarians Gabriela Laquerre and Marc Schmidt, who purchased their Jayman home last summer, said it was “absolutely amazing” to see credit on their utility invoices after “years and years” of rising bills.

The Jayman-SkyFire partnership is also reducing emissions.

“I have a little chart that I did for our presentation this year for the sales team, and when we started… I think we saved about 708 tonnes of greenhouse gas,” Krasman said. “By the end of 2024 when we put all those 4,000 homes together, now we’re saving 5,776 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.”

“As one of the first builders in Canada to include 10 solar panels as a standard feature in every home, we are committed to enhancing the quality of life for Albertans today and in the future,” added Jayman COO Dave Hooge.

Jayman has now built homes in almost 60 communities across the province, and the company is preparing to launch a new development in the east Calgary neighbourhood of Seton.

“We will be the exclusive builder, so the plan will be to have all 2,400 single homes going in there with 10 solar panels,” Krasman said.

Cover photo: Andrew Glaser/wikimedia commons