Aerobarrier is a non-toxic acrylic spray that quickly and affordably seals air leaks in attics and homes. We cannot overstate the importance of airtightness in homes and attic rooms. A proper air barrier reduces heat loss in winter, overheating in summer, and prevents moisture build up in walls which can lead to…

如何在你的地区找到可靠的绿色住宅建筑商，以及向他们提出什么问题。如何找到绿色建筑认证?It’s not common to find a reliable ‘green home listing’ or ‘green pages’ in specific regions, so choosing a quality general contractor with experience building efficient homes can be tricky…

Long-term exposure to high levels of radon gas in homes is the second greatest cause of lung cancer after smoking - that's 25000 preventable deaths a year from radon exposure - has your home been tested. Why is Radon a Problem in USA & Canada? Radon gas is cancer-causing radioactive, invisible, odourless and…

A new manufacturer of hemp insulation products sets up shop in Quebec - Hemp being a great Green Building alternative to traditional insulation materials. Hemp insulation manufactured in Canada! Nature Fibres is a young company based in the town of Asbestos, Quebec, which began manufacturing hemp insulation in the…

Three greenhouse owners share their construction methods and experiences for building greenhouses in cold climates where the benefits accumulate for food production. Growing Fruits and vegetables all year round in Canada or the colder parts of North America would be wonderful but, sadly, our climate limits us to a…

The Toronto Healthy House was built in 1996, completely independent of municipal water, sewer and electricity systems. Here is a look back at it, with some tips on optimizing an off-grid home. In 1996, this off-grid house designed by architect Martin Liefhebber was one of two concept homes selected by the Canada…

The new Powerhouse standard factors the entire energy consumption and life cycle of buildings from cradle to grave. Powerhouse is a new building standard that originated in Norway, one that certifies buildings that produce more energy over their lifetime than they will use. There are already many positive-production…

Design ideas and home-durability measures to help families and homes withstand a changing climate. Future-proofing homes: Our society has a collective trust in its commercial building industry to provide us with homes that we assume meet some realistic standard of resilience. They do to an extent, but a very minor…

Are you a senior citizen looking to move to a smaller home? Here are some easy tips for downsizing and things to look for in a new home. More and more seniors are buying homes now as the downsizing trend is in full effect. If you’re on the fence about relocating to a new home and dread the thought of house hunting…

The flat plate solar thermal collector from Viessmann has a modulating collector to prevent overheating. Solar thermal panels in cold climates are at risk of freezing in winter, so in the North, we use a glycol mix as a heat transfer fluid. This prevents panels from freezing but introduces new problems in the…

Sensible design, material re-use and using recycling centers can reduce what you send to a landfill. The best way to reduce waste is to plan ahead to keep it at a minimum; here are some suggestions on how you can do that: Design your house with reduced waste in mind by keeping the plans at sensible dimensions. If…

Recounting the trials — and joys — of building a Canadian home to meets the "Passivhaus" standard. First, the background to this Passivhaus My partner and I are geeks. Our idea of a romantic dream was to build a house so well insulated you could heat it with a hairdryer. For added fun, we wanted to do this on a…

Choosing the right solar thermal water heater system. What is a solar thermal collector? A photovoltaic (PV) solar collector converts solar radiation into electricity, but a solar thermal collector is much simpler than that. It refers to a device that collects heat directly from solar radiation. That can be as…

The Nail Kicker quickly and easily removes nails from old lumber, saving costs on material purchase as well as waste disposal. Most people, certainly those reading here on our site, would no doubt prefer to see old lumber re-employed than sent to a landfill, but staying on a construction budget can on occasion trump…

A comeback for foam radiant floor ICF forms heated with air tubes. Radiant heating systems are very common in concrete floors now because they provide a very balanced and comfortable distribution of heat. Those systems are most commonly hydronic, meaning heated liquid is pumped through tubing in the concrete which…

这种混凝土减少了70%的碳排放，30%的燃料消耗和80%的水使用。美国公司Solidia Technologies®研发的一种新型水泥砌块制造工艺，在制造过程中比传统混凝土减少40%的排放，resulting in a dramatically…

A study showed that reflectors on solar panels can increase their performance by up to 30%. The continuing drop in cost for home solar power generation has led to a dramatic increase in the rate of installations, for both residential and commercial use. Increasing the yield through reflection could make that an even…

Kunos oil from Livos is a natural finishing oil for floors, counters, furniture & decks - enrich wood surfaces safely, protect them from stains & water ingress. Livos is a Quebec manufacturer of natural wood finishing oils, and they are very transparent about the composition of their products which are mainly plants…

Wood ceilings are a beautiful natural material with no off-gassing and no treatment necessary so why do we systematically choose drywall. Wood ceilings - what's the the skinny? Ahhh, the charm of a wood ceiling, seriously, what's not to like? The intent of this page is less about talking you out of installing gypsum…