Ontario Construction News staff writer
More than 1,000 new homes planned for southwest Newmarket will include heat pump systems as part of an updated agreement between the Town of Newmarket and Shining Hill Estates Collection Inc.
The Municipal Capital Facilities Agreement amendment will see heat pumps installed in all residences within the Shining Hill community, a move the town says will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and support its climate action goals.
“Newmarket is proud to be leading the way with an innovative community-building partnership that supports our environmental sustainability goals,” Mayor John Taylor said in a statement. “By incorporating heat pumps into more than 1,000 new homes at Shining Hill, we are taking a significant step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building an energy-efficient future and creating a healthier, more sustainable community for residents today and for generations to come.”
According to a town staff report, the development will be the largest committed installation of residential heat pumps in Canada to date.
Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat rather than generate it through combustion, allowing a single system to provide both heating and cooling. The town estimates the systems will initially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 per cent compared with conventional furnaces, with further reductions possible as technology advances.
The updated agreement builds on a 2022 deal between Newmarket and Shining Hill that included the transfer of 80 acres of environmentally sensitive lands into public ownership and commitments to create a sustainable community along Yonge Street.
Originally the plan included green and affordable housing options, low-impact development features, trails, a tennis clubhouse and courts, and the planting of more than 5,000 trees.
Amendments will increase the amount of land transferred to the town for affordable housing and other community features, while adding underground stormwater management infrastructure and requiring heat pumps in every home.
“Climate Action Newmarket Aurora has been involved in the Shining Hill partnership for five years in an advisory capacity and we see the announcement today of heat pumps in every home as a very significant win for the environment,” said Walter Bauer, a longtime member of the organization. “We hope that developers and builders across Ontario and Canada will see this leading example and copy it.”
Newmarket’s community energy plan includes actions to reduce fossil fuel use and electricity demand while establishing greenhouse gas reduction targets through 2050, with priorities including energy efficiency, low-carbon heating and municipal building retrofits as the town works toward its long-term climate goals.
