Carbon neutral/ Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...Carbon? Just over a year ago, the Canadian Green Building Council officially launched the new standard on ZeroCarbonbuildings . Not only is that certification awarded by third party, the program has been developed very diligently, including consultations with 40 organizations in the construction sector. The CaGBC t...

...CarbonBuildings Initiative? Mark Hutchinson: The CaGBC launched the zerocarbonbuilding initiative in 2016 to champion the move to lower-carboncommercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings in support of Canada’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. CaGBC believes that a zerocarbonap...

...carbon-neutralelectricity with storage that doesn't need batteries Storing renewable energy One downside of injecting clean, renewable energy into the power grid is that many green power sources lack predictability, making balancing the supply more challenging . Power authorities work hard to anticipate supply a...

This article was originally published in ecoHouse Canada , Winter 2014/15 issue. Kyle England is an architect with William Dewson Architects, www.dewson.com. Farnham Avenue House is a single-family detached residential infill project. Some of the eco-friendly design aspects are time honoured such as, verti...

What is the best wall system for a home? We're frequently asked which is the perfect wall system for high-performance LEED , Passive House or Zero Energy Homes , Well, a perfect Answer to that Is, first Ask the Right Questions! - After all, what is the best way to get from one place to another? You have to choose be...

After completing a design workshop for high performance wall systems , teachers at the New Frontiers School Board in Ormstown, QC have settled on a building envelope that will outperform houses built to code by a factor of almost 3. The school will be releasing videos following the progress of this first of its kind p...

Originally published by our print affiliate SAB Magazine Jury comments: This house has a light environmental footprint that derives from the philosophical approach taken by both the client and the architect. It combines responsible siting and construction strategies with low-energy consumption and net zero water use...

From the Natural Resources Canada website: Overview: The R-2000 Net Zero Energy pilot aims to recognize the builders and homes reaching net zero energy performance in Canada, and to pilot the next generation of NRCan’s R-2000 Standard and EnerGuide Rating System in net zero energy applications. Drawing on NRCan’...

Net Zero Homes - the design & certification process In May of 2017, the Canadian Home Builders Association [CHBA] officially launched its Net Zero Home Labelling Program , following the successful completion of a 15-month pilot project to validate technical and administrative procedures for building net zero homes i...

The Skygarden House is a winner of the Canadian Green Building Awards and is a great example of the kind of transformation and performance enhancement that is possible with dilapidated houses in urban cores. *** The renewal of this beautiful century old, 225 m2 single family residence on a small urban lot in Toron...

As owners of this net zero energy home construction project , we acted as both the designer and general contractor. The objective for the new home (to replace a 1950’s bungalow with all the imaginable problems that could come with it) was to design and build a home for a family of 4 that is fun, comfortable to live in...