Bright Days Ahead
Something bright is happening on the roof of Evergreen Terrace.
For the first time at Baptist Housing, photovoltaic solar panels are helping generate electricity at one of our communities. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, which is then used by the building. It is a significant step in our sustainability commitment, and reflects an intentional approach to the resources we use and the environments we create for our residents and our teams.
The project was led by Erich Klein, Associate Vice President, Asset Management & Sustainability. For Erich and the team, Evergreen Terrace offered an opportunity to put that commitment into action.
The installation includes 44 solar panels that, at peak sunlight, can produce 30 kilowatts of power. The clean electricity generated feeds directly into Evergreen Terrace, reducing the amount of electricity the community needs to draw from the grid.
Why Evergreen Terrace?
Evergreen Terrace was a good place to pilot the project. Its roof has strong exposure to the sun, the structure can support the system, and the building’s electrical setup made it well suited for a solar installation.
But choosing the right location was only part of the opportunity. Evergreen Terrace now gives us a chance to learn from the system’s performance and apply what we learn to future projects.
While Evergreen Terrace is our first photovoltaic solar installation, it builds on other solar installations already in place at Evergreen Manor, Evergreen Heights, and Shannon Oaks Oak Bay. Another installation is currently in progress at Maple Towers. Sustainability isn’t a single project at Baptist Housing. It’s our ongoing commitment to how we operate our buildings, use our resources, and find new opportunities to reduce our environmental impact.
Sustainability goes well beyond what you can see on the roof.
Over the past several years across Baptist Housing, we’ve introduced more efficient heating and cooling systems, upgraded building controls, converted lighting to LED, replaced aging boilers with high-efficiency systems, partnered with BC Hydro and FortisBC on energy-saving projects, and introduced water conservation measures.
Sustainability is an investment in the environments we create. And at the heart of those environments are people. Our communities are home for residents, and the place where our team members come to work each day. How we care for our buildings and manage the resources within them, matters.
Two years in the making
From the first plans to 44 panels on the roof, the journey took nearly two years.
Installing solar at an occupied care community required careful planning, assessments, approvals, and coordination. Each step had to be considered alongside the daily life already happening at Evergreen Terrace.
The process gave us valuable experience we can carry forward. With seven more applications for solar systems underway, what we learned at Evergreen Terrace will help guide future projects.
Looking ahead
In the months and years ahead, we’ll monitor solar generation, energy use, and savings to understand how the system performs through every season.
For Baptist Housing, success is about more than the electricity generated on a sunny day.
It’s about continuing to learn, using our resources wisely, and creating great environments for the people who live and work in our communities. And ultimately, it’s about making choices that will help build a more sustainable Baptist Housing for the future.
📷 Marc Kinna, CEO, Baptist Housing (left), and Erich Klein, Associate Vice President, Asset Management & Sustainability (right), with the new solar installation at Evergreen Terrace in White Rock.
