Home Energy Efficiency / Net Zero Homes

[Daveography]

A local eco-house expert says it’s time to ditch the suburban single-family home, after a study showed Edmonton homes emit the highest greenhouse gases of any Canadian city.

The University of British Columbia study estimated energy consumption in major Canadian cities between 1997 and 2009 based on factors like population density, the weather and the kind of energy consumed.

“I think we need to start thinking in terms of more central multi-family housing and give up on the dream of the suburban single-family house,” said Peter Amerongen, with Habitat Studio, adding that Edmonton probably has the least energy-efficient housing stock in the country.

Full Story (Metro Edmonton)

 

[Daveography]

Alberta has joined most other provinces by adopting updated energy efficiency requirements to cut greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings.

Buildings in the province put out 19 megatonnes of greenhouse gases in 2014 — about seven per cent of Alberta’s total, Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee said Tuesday.

“It may sound small, but that number has a big impact on the planet,” she told a news conference held at a narrow-lot skinny house under construction in Glenora.

The new rules, which take effect Nov. 1, will update or change codes for building, energy, electrical, elevators, gas, pressure vessels and private sewers.

They include energy-efficiency requirements for windows, lighting, insulation, heating and air conditioning. The rules will also apply to apartments, office towers, shops and industrial projects.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

A new $36-million rebate plan for solar panel installation on Albertan homes and businesses should be up and running by summer.

While the details are yet to be ironed out — what systems qualify, installation requirements, who’s eligible — Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said Monday the program will create up to 900 solar sector jobs by 2019.

The program will be funded with some of the cash the government has raked in through the carbon tax, cutting solar installation costs for homes by up to 30 per cent, and 25 per cent for businesses.

Solar uptake in Alberta has doubled since 2015, for which Phillips credits funding programs created by her government.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...on-solar-rebate-plan-for-homes-and-businesses

 

[Daveography]

Net Zero Homes Priced Under $400,000 Have Arrived in Edmonton

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Landmark Homes
12:01 ET

EDMONTON, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Landmark Homes is proud to introduce affordable net zero homes to the Edmonton new home market. Just over ten years ago, there was question of whether or not it would even be possible to build a net zero home in North America's most northerly metropolis, let alone build one with a price tag in the range of an average single-family home. Fast-forward to 2017 and we can now comfortably use affordable and net zero home in the same sentence.

Landmark Homes' latest net zero project in Edmonton's southeast neighbourhood of Maple Crest will have a starting price of $399,737, which includes the lot, home, garage, net zero upgrades and GST. This price is very much in line with February's median selling price of $391,000 for a single family home in Edmonton. It's possible that this home will be one of if not the most affordable single-family net zero homes in Canada. The show home, located at 2686 Maple Way NW, opened to the public on Saturday, March 18.

Edmonton's Mayor Don Iveson celebrates the opening of Landmark Homes' affordable net zero home. Joining him onstage is the President of Landmark Homes Canada, Bijan Mannani. (CNW Group/Landmark Homes)

Dignitaries cut the ribbon to mark the opening of Landmark Homes' affordable net zero home. (CNW Group/Landmark Homes)
"For ten years we've been diligently working to drive down the cost of net zero energy homes," says Reza Nasseri, CEO and founder of Landmark Homes. "Big things have small beginnings and the net zero homes we're building in Maple Crest today will lay down the groundwork for the mass adoption of this type of housing in the coming years."

"We saw an opportunity to rethink what's possible and use forward-looking planning to create an ultra-energy efficient home that is attainable by the majority of single-family homebuyers in Edmonton," says Mike Haupt, general manager of Landmark Homes' single-family division. "The homes we're designing today are highly replicable, affordable and scalable. We've reached a tipping point in the industry."

A net zero home is designed to be more comfortable, more efficient, and healthier than a traditional home and offers a wide range of benefits including:

• Low annual operating costs – utility bills fall to an all-time low and stay low year round. Homeowners are even credited for the energy they export back to the grid.
• Protection from future increases in energy prices
• Exceptional comfort all year round – advanced construction methods and materials means even temperatures throughout the home
• Excellent indoor air quality with a built-in filtered fresh air system
• Tightly built and well insulated, a net zero home is quieter

Present to mark the ceremonial unveiling on March 17 was David Dodge, Chair of Energy Efficiency Alberta, Rod Loyola, MLA Edmonton-Ellerslie, and Mayor Don Iveson. Government representatives were joined at the podium by Nathan Stone, 2nd Vice President of the Canadian Home Builders' Association.

"Net-zero homes are a real game changer and the ultimate expression of energy efficiency," says David Dodge, Chair of Energy Efficiency Alberta. "We know that Alberta builders are leaders in building super energy efficient homes in Canada and now Landmark Homes is proving they are affordable."

"Builders like Landmark are working hard to make Net Zero Homes affordable for all Canadians and CHBA applauds their commitment," says Nathan Stone, 2nd Vice President of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. "This is putting our industry at the leading edge internationally, in terms of new home quality, comfort, value and innovation."

Landmark Homes is preparing to build net zero homes in Edmonton's neighbourhoods of Graydon Hill and Keswick later this year.

About Landmark Homes
The vision of Landmark Homes is to be a major North American housing solutions provider recognized for sustainability and for leading a revolution in the industrialization of housing construction. Founded in 1977, Landmark has grown to be one of Alberta'slargest home builders having crafted over 12,000 homes. The industry has evolved dramatically over the last four decades, and Landmark Homes has often been at the forefront of its most significant innovations. With a deep commitment to sustainable development, Landmark pursues innovations that will minimize the environmental impact of their processes and products, and improve how homes are built. For more information, visit landmarkgroup.ca.

SOURCE Landmark Homes

For further information: Tanya Rumak, Sustainability and Public Relations Manager, Landmark Group of Companies, P: (780) 702-8292, C: (780) 887-2189, tanyar@landmarkgroup.ca

http://www.newswire.ca/news-release...ived-in-edmonton-616626364.html#continue-jump

 

[Daveography]

Edmonton poised to let the sun shine on city's solar industry
The city of Edmonton is looking to tweak a bylaw to make it easier for homeowners to install solar panels on their houses.

The proposed changes include removing the requirement of a development permit for roof-mounted solar panels in residential neighbourhoods.

"It means less paperwork, less red tape," said Anne Stevenson, senior planner with the city.

It also includes setting out guidelines on restricting their height and how far the panels can protrude from the side of a house.

"Right now there's a lot of ambiguity around solar panels," said Stevenson. "What these amendments do is make it very clear that if you follow certain parameters you won't require a development permit.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/solar-energy-city-edmonton-bylaw-1.4040528

 

[Daveography]

Alberta homeowners offered rebates to help keep the cold out
EDMONTON — Provincial government rebates are being made available to Alberta homeowners who want to upgrade their windows, insulation and hot water heaters.

The NDP government says starting April 28, rebates of up to $3,500 will be available for eligible products. The program covers energy efficient triple-glaze windows and tankless hot-water heaters, along with insulation for attics, basements and above-grade walls.

Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the rebates will help people save money and boost the economy. Analysis from other provinces shows 50 to 70 jobs created for every million dollars invested in energy efficiency programs, she said.

"We have already seen many energy efficiency companies adding staff as businesses, as non-profits, as homeowners begin to look at their options," she said at an announcement Tuesday. "We'll only see more of that work happening as we begin to reinvest in this."

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...ers-to-keep-the-cold-out-and-the-heat-in.html

Alberta homeowners offered up to $3,500 for energy-efficient renos
Alberta homeowners who are planning to upgrade their homes with new insulation, triple-glazed windows or tankless water heaters this spring can qualify for a new rebate worth up to $3,500.

People can get back as much as $1,000 on a water heating system, $1,500 on window upgrades and a maximum of $3,500 for insulation.

Details of the program were posted on the Energy Efficiency Alberta website. The site went offline Tuesday afternoon due to "high volumes," Alberta Environment said in a tweet.

People can qualify for the rebate as long as they use approved Alberta contractors who will will be listed on the Energy Efficiency Alberta website on April 28, the day the program launches.

To be listed, contractors must be registered in Alberta and have at least three years' experience and Workers' Compensation coverage for their employees. They also have to take a course on how to explain the program to homeowners and help them with the paperwork.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/energy-efficiency-alberta-rebates-phillips-1.4074230

 

[archited]

And just when climate warning is kicking in

 

[Daveography]

We're thinking about replacing our aging water heater with a tankless model now that there's a rebate available. Bonus would be we could finally get a furnace-triggered valve on our fresh-air intake once it's the only gas appliance in the basement and further reduce heat leakage.

 

[Daveography]

Paula Simons: It's not that easy being green
Is it really the best use of public tax dollars to give generous public subsidies to middle-class homeowners? To benefit from the program, you have to own a house, and you need enough money in hand, or access to enough credit, to pay for the costs the rebate won’t cover. It is a grant that’s hugely skewed in favour of people who aren’t in desperate need of a public subsidy in the first place. And since it’s not retroactive, it does nothing to reward early adopters who made such changes years ago.

Will it all help save the polar bears?

Alberta Environment estimates in the first year, the whole suite of energy efficiency initiatives is expected to save 594,300 gigajoules, enough to heat 4,000 homes for a year.

That’s lovely, but it’s hardly going to mitigate the catastrophic effects of global warming.

And since the province is not going to do energy audits of homes before and after the renovations, we won’t have an official way to measure just how much energy was saved.

http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/paula-simons-its-not-that-easy-being-green

 

[Daveography]

Can net-zero net the average homebuyer?
An Edmonton house with solar panels selling for less than 10 per cent more than one without signals a possible shift

Dignitaries with pant legs covered in mud splatter huddle in an Edmonton basement as they inspect the water heater of a new home.

What has drawn the representatives of government and industry to this muddy suburban construction site, isn’t just the 1,230-square-foot, three-bedroom, detached house covered with solar panels that is able to produce as much heat and electricity as it uses. It’s the “normal’ price.

A net-zero house built by Landmark Group in Edmonton, which is able to produce as much heat and electricity as it uses.
Landmark, the home builder, is asking just $399,397 for its “net-zero” home, in a city where the average detached home in February sold for $427,726. Some say that’s a milestone, finally bringing what was until now a premium product sold at a considerable markup into the mainstream.

Landmark owner Reza Nasseri says he’s built net-zero homes before but that the electrical-generation technology is cheaper and simpler now, and doesn’t require the buyer to do anything – other than consider their potential cost savings in an otherwise standard, cookie cutter house.

“You know a lot of people, they don’t believe in climate change and who am I to say that they should or they shouldn’t,” he says. “But they believe in economics. So if they have a house and they pay a few dollars extra for it, and they get a payback within 10 years, and after, everything’s for free – they want to buy a house like that.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real...g-economical-for-home-buyers/article34751239/

 

[Daveography]

Council approves ambitious sustainable buildings policy
May 10, 2017

City Council approved an ambitious Sustainable Buildings Policy yesterday. The new standard for energy efficiency set out in the policy is the most ambitious for a major Canadian city with a carbon intensive electricity grid like Edmonton and second only to Vancouver.

“Energy and Climate Change are the top sustainability and resiliency challenges facing Edmonton. We know that 39% of Edmonton’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 42% of our energy consumption is from buildings,” says Jenny Hong, Senior Project Manager for the Energy Transition Strategy. “It’s important for the City to show leadership in sustainable building practices and this policy does just that. It commits us to build new municipal buildings that are at minimum 40% more energy efficient and emit 40% less greenhouse gases than buildings built to code. It requires a higher quality building envelope that decreases the amount of energy needed to heat the building.”

“Policy C532 makes Edmonton one of the first cities in Canada to improve energy conservation by targeting the quality of the building envelope for new municipal buildings,” says Pascale Ladouceur, Director of Facility Planning and Design. “It encourages designers to use passive design strategies to minimize the consumption of natural gas and electricity. This could include using high quality, well-insulated windows, doors, and walls and optimizing placement of windows to reduce the need for active heating and cooling.”

The Policy also requires a minimum 1% of the project budget to be dedicated to on-site energy generation. This could mean that new City buildings could generate up to 30% of their annual energy needs through an alternative energy system such as solar panels or heat and power cogeneration. Dedicated funding for on-site energy generation will help the City’s achieve its longer term goal of generating 10% of Edmonton's electricity locally.

Policy C532 is one of the many actions that the City is taking to implement the Energy Transition Strategy which moves Edmonton towards the goal of being an energy sustainable city.

Media contact:
Becky Machnee
Communications Advisor
City of Edmonton
780-944-0420

http://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/g5j5i--ccim2-5kftw912

 

[Daveography]

Edmonton a long way from target for net-zero housing, builder says
While "cautiously optimistic," an Edmonton builder says the city is not likely to meet the target of all new housing being net-zero-ready by 2030.

"At the rate we're going now, I think they'll have trouble meeting that target," said Sydney Bond, project manager with Effect Home Builders.

"The landscape of housing is changing ... net zero is a big part of that," she said. "If they want to be meeting their goals, they really want to be considering what that means."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...edmonton-efficient-effect-homes-mno-1.4140153

 

[greenviolinyeg]

This glazing unit by LiteZone achieves R17 at the center of glass, and combined with MagWall's R50 SIP, (shown behind it) Green Violin will have the perfect product for use to demonstrate in our Skinny Townhouse as well as our Pocket House! SAIT is undertaking the testing of the integrated wall that we call the "ThermaVue Transparent Wall System"!

 

[IanO]

Impressive stuff.

The glazing unit reminds me of VisionWall's from awhile ago.

 

[greenviolinyeg]

YES! Greg, the president at LiteZone was formerly VisionWall.