The Construction Source

To achieve those aims, Koen designed the home as an integrated system, which applied the principles of: passive solar design, increased insulation, airtight construction techniques, highly efficient mechanical systems, and a PV solar system. Together, these strategies resulted in a Net-Zero home which produces enough energy to support the home, a home office, a secondary suite, and two electric vehicles. “To have a home that produces thatmuch renewable energy, while still being financially feasible – I think that’s going to be a game changer,” Koen says. “I think we’re onto something very special.” The energy-efficient features of the home include a foundational sump pump, which is equipped with a valve to permit irrigation of the yard using recycled water. The residual heat in wastewater is also collected through a single stack drain that is connected to a drain water heat recovery system. There’s also a 25 kilowatt solar array. And then there are the plumbing fixtures – all of them low flow. The landscaping was also designed and completed with environmental sustainability in mind. Existing trees were kept on the property where possible, brushes plants and flowers were salvaged and planted temporarily off site during construction, and seeds were harvested in the fall, planted indoors in the winter, and brought back outside in spring. Additional native plants were planted as well. As the resident of that home, Koen’s review is predictably glowing. “It’s phenomenal,” he says. “Being so one with the environment, producing all of our own energy, not having any utility bills – and in fact, getting paid for the energy that you produce – it’s very cool. Moving in was a life-changing event.” In their jury comments, the Canada Green Building Council had similarly high praise. They called the finished product a “commendable example of environmentally responsible densification.” They said it was “both gentle in its addition of a secondary suite, and transferrable in its use of off-the-shelf technology and local labour.” “The project achieves its net zero ambitions in a holistic way, exploiting passive solar orientation and creating a highly insulated and airtight building envelope before adding photovoltaic panels for make-up energy,” they wrote. “Water conservation and material selection strategies are also commendable.” Koen also credits the home’s exceptional result to some of the same factors – such as the company’s JANUARY 2020