LEED for Homes Provider Retreat: 2008-04-17/18
It's been a busy couple months! The LEED for Homes program was launched by the
US Green Building Council earlier this year, and Mindscape is the first
company in Canada that was able to deliver certifications under this program. The pilot period has now closed, and the full program is under way.
There is a great deal of activity in LEED for Homes right now, including the development of special processes for mid-rise buildings (4-6 storey),
for volume projects (>50 homes), and for manufactured housing. contact us for more
information, for training, or to register a home.
KW Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award: 2008-02-21
Mindscape is delighted to report that Derek Satnik, Managing Partner, was awarded the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneur
of the Year award for 2008. Refer to the Chamber's
press release for more information.
Mindscape Licensed as an R-2000 Influencer
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) administers several energy efficiency programs that have contributed in various ways towards increasing
the energy efficiency of Canadian housing. The R-2000 program (co-developed with the Canadian Home Builders Association, CHBA)
is the oldest of the currently active programs, and it laid the foundation for
other programs such as ENERGY STAR for New Homes which have arisen since. Mindscape is pleased to announce our formal support of the R-2000 program,
and we are looking forward to sharing the updated version of R-2000 once it becomes available.
Refer to the CHBA's R-2000 webpage for more information.
Mindscape Licensed to Qualify and Label New Homes under ENERGY STAR and EnerGuide Programs
The ENERGY STAR for New Houses program has been a wonderful success in Ontario over the past two years, and Mindscape is pleased to announce that we
are now able to qualify homes in both the ENERGY STAR program and the EnerGuide Rating System. We will be launching several training courses over the
coming months to build capacity in the housing sector, to train builders, raters, designers, sales staff, and more.
contact us for more information, for training, or to register a home.
Refer to
NRCan's ENERGY STAR for New Homes webpate for more information.
Mindscape Offices Closed for Christmas
The Mindscape offices will be closed from Dec. 24, 2007 through Jan. 1, 2008 for Christmas, and will reopen on Jan. 2.
Merry Christmas to all, and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!
Mindscape Office Moves: 2007-11-24
We're growing! Mindscape has moved to Cora's Galleria Tower at 101 Frederick St., Suite 401. Cora has proven to be an outstanding
landlord, and we're pleased to be in such an accessible location in the city. Our full contact information has been updated on our
contact us page.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik elected to OSEA Board of Directors: 2007-11-17
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association is the organization that
convinced the Ontario government to start thinking about Advanced Renewable Tarriffs, and who made the policy recommendations
that lead to Ontario creating North America's first Ontario Standard Offer
Program (SOP). OSEA continues to work with the government to improve this program (which is not truly an Advanced Renewable
Tarriff, but which is a very good start), and Mindscape is pleased to announce that Derek Satnik was elected to OSEA's Board
of Directors at this year's AGM on 2007-11-17.
Mindscape secures 30th Standard Offer Contract: 2007-11-13
Mindscape is pleased to announce the approval of our 30th Standard Offer Contract. The
Ontario Standard Offer Program (SOP) gives normal Ontario home owners and
property owners the opportunity to generate and sell electricity into the public utility grid, and provides a per kWh
incentive to improve the financial viability of smaller projects, such as roof top photovoltaic systems. The 30th contract
Mindscape successfully won was for a school PV system. Mindscape thanks the Ontario Power Authority for their efforts
to continually inprove the processing of SOP applications, and we look forward to submitting many more projects in the near future!
Mindscape Becomes First "LEED for Homes" Provider Agent in Canada: 2007-10-11
Mindscape is delighted to announce that we have partnered with the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (AES)
to provide LEED for Homes certification services in Ontario. AES is one of only 12 companies in North America that is
currently able to certify homes under the LEED for Homes program in the US, none of which are in Canada. Mindscape is
pleased to be the first Canadian company to offer such services, and is grateful for AES's support.
Click here for more information.
Mindscape secures 20th Standard Offer Contract: 2007-10-05
Mindscape is pleased to announce the approval of our 20th Standard Offer Contract. The
Ontario Standard Offer Program (SOP) gives normal Ontario home owners and
property owners the opportunity to generate and sell electricity into the public utility grid, and provides a per kWh
incentive to improve the financial viability of smaller projects, such as roof top photovoltaic systems. The 20th contract
Mindscape successfully won was for a residential PV system. Mindscape thanks the Ontario Power Authority for their efforts
to continually inprove the processing of SOP applications, and we look forward to submitting many more projects in the near future!
CaGBC Announces LEED for Homes Case Study Program: 2007-08-10
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announced today that it will be
administering a "case study program" for it's coming version of LEED for Homes. Interested home builders are invited to submit applications
over the next few weeks to participate in the USGBC's LEED for Homes program, and simultaneously to give feedback to the CaGBC that
will be incorporated into the development of the Canadian LEED for Homes standard.
First LEED Platinum Home In Canada: 2007-07-05
July 5th was the grand opening of Reid's Heritage Group's LEED Platinum home. The model home is located in Guelph's
Westminister Woods community and received the honour not only of becoming the first home in Canada to be rated in the
LEED for Homes
rating system, but also of earning the highest rating score to date of any LEED home in North America.
Mindscape is delighted to have acted as the Green Rater for this project and to have played a key role
in the certification process. For more information visit
Reid's Green Homes website or
contact us.
Mindscape to Partner with ARISE Technologies Corp. for WISE Project: June 2007
The West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE)
is a community-led renewable energy project to make solar electricity and
solar water heating more available and affordable for members of the community. Mindscape is pleased to announce that we will be
registering the participating homes for the Ontario Standard Offer Program
and provincial sales tax rebates, and we will also be providing an ongoing preventative
maintenance program. Community power is a key priority for Mindscape, and a necessary component of Ontario's energy future.
We congratulate the WISE group for their pioneering efforts.
Ontario's Standard Offer Program to be updated in March 2008:
The Ontario Standard Offer Program is currently under review and is due to
be updated in March 2008. It is expected that the updated version will include better incentives for micro scale PV projects (under 10kW),
for biofuels, and for wind projects that are farther away from the shore lines. It is also hoped that there will be new incentives
available for alternative energy systems that generate heat instead of electricity (eg: geothermal and solar thermal systems). Mindscape
is supporting the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) in their negotiating efforts.
Refer to OSEA's website or to our
Standard Offer Program webpage for more information.
LEED-ND (Neighbourhood Development) pilot program has begun: 2007-05-30
The USGBC contacted participating design teams today to inform them of their acceptance into the LEED-ND pilot program. Only 30
projects from across Canada were admitted into the program, and Mindscape is pleased to announce that 3 of our projects were accepted.
Refer to the USGBC's LEED-ND webpage for more information, or
contact us.
LEED for Homes is coming to Canada!
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)'s LEED for Homes committee had their kickoff meeting on May 22/23 2007, and has
officially begun to translate the USGBC's LEED for Homes program into the Canadian context. The US pilot system will be extended into
Canada before the end of July 2007, and there will be a Canadian case study program managed concurrently with the US pilot. Stay tuned
for more info! The full Canadian version of LEED for Homes is not due for public release until June 2008.
Refer to the Canada Green Building Council's website for more information,
or contact us.
Mindscape to Exhibit at KW Energy & Environment Forum: 2007-04-18
The Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce is hosting an Energy and Environment forum at the Kitchener Holiday Inn
on Thursday morning, Apr. 18. Mindscape will be exhibiting along with other local energy and environmental firms. Refer to the
KW Chamber's website for more information.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik appointed to CaGBC's LEED-H Committee: 2007-04-13
Mindscape is pleased to announce that we will be participating directly in the formation of energy and environment standards for
the Canadian housing industry. Managing Partner Derek Satnik has been appointed to the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)'s Low-Rise
Residential Core Committee (LRRCC) to help create Canada's version of LEED for Homes.
Refer to the CaGBC's website for more information on LEED or on the council.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik spoke at the "Getting to Zero" conference hosted by the Net-Zero Energy Home Coalition and
and the Ontario Power Authority: 2007-04-12
Mindscape's Derek Satnik presented on connecting residential renewable energy systems to the utility grid, with emphasis on the available
incentives, and challenges / difficulties presently being experienced throughout the province of Ontario. Refer to the
Net-Zero Energy Home Coalition (NZEHC)'s website for more information.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik joins NRCan's Building Canada team: 2007-03-13
Mindscape's Derek Satnik was welcomed into the Ontario team of Natural Resource Canada's "Building Canada" program on March 13, 2007.
For more information on the Building Canada program, refer to the Building Canada
website.
Mindscape joins the KW Chamber Environmental Committee: 2007-02-27
Mindscape is pleased to support local environmental initiatives, and is pleased to participate in the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo
Chamber of Commerce's Environmental Committee.
Refer to the KW Chamber's website for more information.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik spoke to the Brantford Home Builders Association: 2007-03-14
Mindscape's Derek Satnik delivered "An Introduction to Residential Sustainability"
to the BHBA during their
monthly members meeting on March 14, 2007. Please contact BHBA
directly for more information on how to become a member or to visit future presentations.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik spoke to EnerQuality's Building Canada team: 2007-03-08
Mindscape's Derek Satnik delivered an introduction to "Residential Applications for Solar Energy"
to Natural Resource Canada's Ontario team within their Building Canada
program on March 8, 2007.
Mindscape's Derek Satnik spoke to the Waterloo Region Home Builders Association: 2007-01-18
Mindscape's Derek Satnik delivered "An Introduction to Residential Sustainability"
to the WRHBA during their
monthly members meeting on Jan. 18, 2006. Please contact WRHBA
directly for more information on how to become a member or to visit future presentations.
Official launch of Mindscape corporate website: 2006-12-22
Mindscape is proud to announce the official release of our website! We hope you’ve enjoyed your browsing experience. Please feel free
to send constructive suggestions to our webmaster.
Mindscape is Open for Business!
Mindscape opened for business late 2006 to address the needs of certain niche markets within the residential sector. Please refer to our
Services & Products pages for more detail.
