ECO: Building up to a green homes future

By the year 2030, all new homes in B.C. could be producing as much energy as they consume, if the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation meets its goal of making that standard feasible.

For now, the national housing authority is starting with the construction of two such homes. In about a year, it will unveil the first ever net-zero energy houses to be built in this province: one in Burnaby and one in Kamloops.

Although private owners will eventually inhabit the green homes, for six months after completion they will be open to the public for educational tours. By sponsoring the design and monitoring of superefficient homes to the tune of $60,000 each, the CMHC hopes to open British Columbians’ eyes to the possibilities for healthier, more sustainable housing. The projects are part of the second phase of CMHC’s EQuilibrium Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative, a program that has already helped sponsor six other net-zero energy homes in Canada since 2006.

“We’re demonstrating to the industry and to the public that this is doable,” said Allan Dobie, a senior research consultant for the CMHC’s B.C. EQuilibrium projects. “The longterm goal of this initiative is that by the year 2030, this will become a mainstream building strategy, and that all new buildings will meet or come very close to this standard.”

Recipe for a net-zero energy, zero-carbon home in Burnaby

The CMHC chose a design submitted by Chris Mattock, the Vancouver owner of Habitat Design + Consulting, for the 3,500-squarefoot EQuilibrium house slated to be built in Burnaby. Mattock’s project, called Harmony House, already has a couple lined up willing to shell out more than $700,000 to construct the home, which will have separate suites for two families and a zoned home-office space.

Mattock, a sustainable-design veteran who was recently involved in the design of a net-zero energy home in Japan, explained that there are two main steps to building a netzero energy home: minimizing energy requirements, and then meeting those minimal requirements with clean energy produced on site.

“It’s something that’s evolved over the last few years and it’s being advocated by organizations such as the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Institute of Architects of Canada, and of course the CMHC,” said Mattock of the concept of netzero energy homes.
Minimizing energy requirements

The most cost-effective ways to shrink a home’s energy requirements, Mattock said, are to build a frame that can accommodate extra insulation and an airtight barrier in all walls, floors and ceilings, and to install top-of-the-line energy-efficient windows, and a ventilation system that recovers lost heat.

In addition, Harmony House will also make the most of passive solar energy — collected without any mechanical redistribution or storage of the energy. For example, there will be lots of windows on the south-facing side to allow the sun’s energy to naturally raise interior temperatures. A forced-air heating system that uses an active-energy blower fan will help redistribute solar gains throughout the house.

“If you look at ancient Chinese and Roman Greek buildings, houses were often designed so they had a south-facing orientation because there’s more sunlight throughout the year on that side, so we’re just rediscovering these principles now,” Mattock said.

Active solar production

Imagine taking a shower in January with water that was heated by the sun last July. You might expect it to be a tad tepid, but the future owners of Harmony House are going to do exactly that without any goose bumps. A 300-square-foot solar collector on the roof, constructed using the simple technology of a black metal sheet with metal pipes soldered on and a glass lid, will collect enough energy over the summer months to heat a 20,000gallon super-insulated water storage tank under the garage. That tank will not only heat enough water for the whole year, but provide all the home’s space heating as well. The only energy needs remaining will be for lights and appliances. A 600square-foot photovoltaic solar panel on the roof will take care of that.

The Kamloops EQuilibrium home, called the Green Dream Home, will employ many of the same features as Burnaby’s Harmony House, and will be built primarily by Thompson Rivers University trades and technology students. After the sixmonth public touring period is over, it will be raffled off to raise funds for the local YMCA.

Information on all EQuilibrium, net-zero energy projects is at www.cmhc.ca.

(prepared by Kate Webb/Vancouver Province)