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Chilliwack builder wins award for energy efficient heating

It’s a tankless water heater system that also heats homes recognized for innovation
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Bob Anderson of FortisBC with Rob Kingma, Kingcraft Construction, winner of a FortisBC Efficiency in Action Award.

A local builder has won provincial recognition for creating more energy efficient homes in Chilliwack.

An innovative and high-efficiency space and water heating system earned Rob Kingma of Kingcraft Construction a FortisBC ‘Efficiency in Action’ Awards in the single-family home category.

Kingma reps worked with Neel’s Heating and Supply, and Ecco Supply, to eliminate the need for furnaces in The Cliffs, a new 50-unit development of single-family strata homes in East Chilliwack.

Instead of going with a typical furnace system, they paired a high-efficiency tankless water heater with an air handler to draw heat from the water and distribute it through the home for even, comfortable heating.

“This system costs about $2,000 more per home than a standard furnace system for the builder, but the investment was worth it because it can lower monthly expenses for future owners,” according to the press release.

The extra cost was also offset by more than $40,000 in natural gas rebates for the both the high-efficiency water heaters and EnerChoice fireplaces.

The annual Efficiency in Action Awards recognize customers who have worked with FortisBC to achieve exceptional energy savings. Award recipients include businesses of all sizes, municipalities and institutions.

FortisBC recognized 11 B.C. organizations in early May for their “dedication to conserving energy” with these awards. Through their combined efforts, the award recipients have achieved an estimated 120,000 gigajoules (GJ) of annual natural gas savings, which is the equivalent of taking about 1,200 gas-powered cars off the road.



Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering the arts, city hall, as well as Indigenous, and climate change stories.
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