Power.House Hybrid: Minimizing GHGs and Maximizing Grid Benefits

Lead Proponent

Alectra Utilities Corporation

Project Objectives

This Project will demonstrate how a full complement of controllable electrical and thermal energy technologies installed in 10 Markham homes, with integrated controls and real-time grid GHG signals can achieve significant reductions in total household GHGs, while still providing energy for space and water heating, transportation, and appliances.

There are 3 main components to this project:

1. Baselines will be established, and homes will be retrofitted with energy efficiency measures, solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging, micro-Combined Heat and Power (microCHP), and smart air handler systems to support hybrid heating with air source heat pumps.
2. The fleet of 10 Power.House Hybrid homes will be integrated into the Proponent’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform.
3. Controls will optimize equipment operation to minimize GHGs and maximize value to the grid using real-time grid GHG signals.

Expected Results

This project will contribute to the Canadian economy and environment by supporting the development of Canadian technological innovation and will act as a model for municipalities, utilities and other stakeholders across the country to emulate and gain key insights towards reducing GHG emissions and transforming to a more sustainable energy sector.

Estimated GHG reductions (tCO2e):

81 annually by 2030

Project Updates

Despite delays due to COVID-19, Alectra, Enbridge, and the City of Markham’s project teams have made steady progress to the implementation stage of the project in 2021. In particular, the team moved forward with completing thermal equipment installation at participating customer homes when public health guidelines have permitted it.

The technical team has agreed on a communications architecture to allow for signalling between multiple vendor equipment and testing of control logic that will send dispatch signals to the electrical and thermal equipment to optimize for GHG reductions.