What are the options for raising heating efficiency, replacing fossil fuels, and decarbonizing farm homes and buildings? NFU member and Saskatchewan farmer Glenn Wright shares his hands-on, on-farm experience with ground-source heat pumps, building insulation, and solar panels. Alex Ferguson, from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) shares his expertise on air-source heat pumps and the challenges of deploying these heating solutions in cold climates.
Glenn Wright and his family grow grains, oilseeds, and pulse crops near Delisle, SK. Glenn worked as an engineer for 20 years and recently became a lawyer. Glenn and his family have installed a solar array, heat their home with geothermal energy, recently completed a deep insulation retrofit on their home, and have reduced domestic emissions by >50%. Glenn and his family have also adopted low-input farming practices to reduce reliance on purchased inputs, reduce GHG emissions, and manage risks.
Alex Ferguson is a researcher at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). Since joining NRCan in 2003, he has led efforts to integrate new envelope and heating technologies into residential buildings. In his work, Alex collects experimental measurements from laboratory testing and field trials, and integrates these into nation-wide models to energy, carbon and affordability impacts. Alex also works closely with colleagues from the National Research Council and Codes Canada to integrate these findings into our buildings codes.
