The Edmonton window and door factory of All Weather at Home is powered by a solar installation that occupies over half of the rooftop, reducing the carbon emissions of the operations and manufacturing.

Consisting of over 2,000 solar panels that cover 110,000 square feet on a 206,000-square-foot roof, the array can provide enough energy to power 1,548 typical single-family homes in Alberta for one year, the company said in a release.

Such capacity is projected to reduce the electricity consumption to produce window, door and glass products by 35 per cent, and offset 632 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

All Weather at Home calls the array Canada’s largest rooftop solar industrial field on a window, door and glass manufacturing site. It ranks among the top 10 largest rooftop solar fields on a commercial building in Canada and is the fourth largest rooftop solar industrial field in the Edmonton area, the company added.

“This is a long-term investment in how we operate,” Colin Wiebe, co-CEO of All Weather Group, said about the asset unveiled this month. “We are making a deliberate, calculated decision to build a stronger business, reduce our cost structure and reinforce the standard we hold ourselves to as a leader in this industry.”

The facility also serves as the head office and showroom for All Weather at Home. Founded in 1978, the company is a privately owned manufacturer of residential window, door and glass products with a network of almost 800 dealer partners across Canada.

Not a “standard plug-and-play” project

Construction on the solar installation began in February 2025 and was commissioned in late October. The head office is All Weather at Home’s only building with a solar installation, Lindsay Guthrie, the communications specialist of the company, said in an email exchange with Sustainable Biz Canada.

The project involved a “significant commissioning and operating period” before the unveiling, she said about why it was announced in June.

Complex design work, permitting and technical approvals were needed for the project, All Weather at Home said, calling it “not a standard plug-and-play solar installation.”

For example, the facility did not initially have the structural capacity to hold the solar array. Structural engineers and roofing specialists had to test and weigh the roof assembly first, then vacuum strips of roof gravel to free up enough capacity.

All Weather at Home invested in the project to support energy efficiency and green living, while also reducing costs for its customers. The company invested millions of dollars into the project, which is expected to result in a “clear return” for production cost and the environment.

For example, the solar array can generate surplus power on weekends which is funnelled into Alberta’s electricity grid. On one May weekend, it produced 14 megawatt-hours of power, and under half was sent to the grid.

The payback period for the project is set at approximately 7.5 years.

All Weather at Home said it did not receive grants for the project, instead tapping into the federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit and Alberta’s carbon offset rebates under the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system.

All Weather at Home recycles for manufacturing

The rooftop solar installation builds on All Weather at Home’s sustainability strategy, the company said.

Each day, All Weather at Home recycles over 2,000 pounds of unplasticized PVC used to make windows, plus glass, cardboard, other plastics and aluminum, it said.

The company has been awarded by ENERGY STAR 10 times, including as ENERGY STAR Manufacturer of the Year five times.

“Efficiency isn’t a project for us, it’s a practice. It’s embedded in how we build and how we run every line on this floor,” Jillene Lakevold, co-CEO of All Weather Group, said. “This solar industrial field is the natural next expression of that.”

All Weather at Home plans to maintain focus on “practical sustainability measures” that support operational performance, energy efficiency, innovation and long-term competitiveness in Canadian manufacturing, Guthrie said.

Other companies with or planning to have rooftop solar installations on industrial buildings include Loblaw in Ontario and Fiera in the Calgary area. 

Canada has considerable rooftop and on-site solar potential, according to a report by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors. The study suggests the two can help meet Canada's 2050 net-zero target by being scaled up by 20 to 40 times.