Editor’s

There is a wide array of new heating and cooling systems that we can expect to see in the future. Some of the units at Southeast False Creek have in-ceiling radiant systems, rather than in the floor. The concept is that they work like the sun, heating from above.

Various electric in-floor radiant systems are coming onto the market. When combined with higher levels of insulation, they can result in a very costeffective and acceptable arrangement. In single-family and townhouse developments, combi-boilers can offer very efficient heating and domestic hot water while taking up very little space.

A few years ago, I attended the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, where I saw a variety of more innovative solutions that even allow new homes to create more energy than they use.

Perhaps the most impressive was the BIQ apartment block that gets its energy from algae growing in glass panels on the exterior of the building. Not only do the walls gurgle, they change colour with the concentration of algae. The heat is made available to the individual apartments via heat exchangers.

While I do not expect to see those systems in operation in British Columbia for many years, like the prototype cars we used to see at car shows and are now on the road today, what seems quite fantastic today can become quite ordinary tomorrow.

Just as we now have a full array of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen- powered automobiles available, expect to see similar energy systems for the homes of tomorrow. s

Prefer Paperless? We will notify you by email when the magazine is posted online, quarterly. Please email scrivener@society.notaries.bc.ca.

REIBC is a member-based organization that acts as an umbrella group for people in all segments of the real estate industry. REIBC also provides a professional RI designation, based on meeting standards of industry education and experience. When you meet someone with the RI designation, you will know they are educated, experienced, and connected.

To Send Photographs to the Magazine

Email your images to scrivener@society.notaries.bc.ca. Please send photos at the original size. Do not reduce or retouch.

scrivener@society.notaries.bc.ca Telephone: 604 681-4516 www.notaries.bc.ca/scrivener