Imagine the ultimate dream home.  A home that produces its own heat and electricity, perfectly designed to generate as much energy as it needs to function annually.  A home with a tangible monetary payback.  Dreams of this perfect home are no longer dreams at all.  As our perspectives on sustainability rapidly adapt with fantastic innovation through design, it is becoming more evident that green design will save the world.  The dynamic Edmonton Net Zero home projects are transforming those dreams into reality, and they’re doing it in style.  Typical home design can find itself lost in a cookie cutter labyrinth lacking both efficiency and creativity. The Net zero home projects in Edmonton are anything but typical.  Effect Home Builders are changing the way we see the home  from the inside out. Each innovative design has a specific function that is carried out with delicate precision and glorious teamwork.  This coming weekend, join the Effect Home builders on an informative construction tour to learn more about the projects.

The term “NetZero” refers to a building that produces zero carbon emissions and net zero energy consumption annually.  The NetZero projects begin with the very well organized construction of materials you wouldn’t normally see in the average home construction.  For one thing, these homes are created with healthy, non-toxic products.  By using healthy products, it ensures that the home emits no volatile organic  compounds (VOC’s).  Considering we spend the majority of our time indoors (a whopping 90%!) it is very important that we consider everything that goes into a home.  Indoor air quality is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor quality.  Insulation does not allow air to flow within a space which causes us to constantly breathe in stale air.  NetZero homes are designed to be airtight yet have systems in place to allow fresh air to flow throughout the home.

Belgravia is very lucky to have Effect Homes in there neighborhood, creating three exceptional NetZero homes.  Each home has been developed with different heating options and designed to save the home owner both energy and money.  There are many different features that the homes share.  Advanced wall systems are being used to achieve NetZero energy consumption.  Insulation plays a huge part in NetZero construction.  Every exterior system that is put in place (wall, window, etc) must have a high rating of what is called “R value”.  Typical R value of a basement (which requires a high level of insulation) is R12.  Ordinary construction requires very low values in order to meet building codes.  The NetZero homes go above and beyond which provides high quality wall systems with excellent insulation.  Both the show-home under construction and the neighboring home to the west include the amazing Nascor Wall System.  This wall has been specially developed out of engineered wood (for increased durability) along with expanded polystyrene.  By using this system, the wall will provide an R-42 rating.  The Nascor Wall Systems are composed essentially of columns that are coated with a material referred to as “Pink Wood”.  Pink Wood is the ultimate super hero of materials!  Designed to be fire resistant, mould-free, water resistant, and above all, non-toxic.  The home that is being constructed on the East side will be designed with a 16” Double stud wood frame.  This feature will allow for R-56 insulation value.  As mentioned above, when it comes to NetZero homes, it is very important to develop a tight envelope, allowing no air to escape the structure, with walls that are perfectly insulated to the highest of standards.

When a NetZero home is constructed, it begins to tell a story of insulation.  This story begins  the way most beginnings do, from the ground up, or what the building industry refers to as, the foundation.  Foundation for the three homes will be developed by using the Advantage ICF System which can provide an insulation value of R-40.  This system will be alongside a second wall on the interior which will provide even more insulation.  A hollow wall is then filled with concrete, which not only helps with the insulation value, but it also provides a barrier for noise, and potential air leakage.  Concrete slabs will be strategically placed below the basement with the help of expanded polystyrene (EPS).  Nascor provides this amazing concrete form that is CFC-free, mould-free and non-toxic.  This insulation material provides the best insulation with unparalleled durability.  Durability is another key component in NetZero construction because not only does it prolong the health of the home, it contributes the the sustainability of the building as a whole and ensures that it can stand the tests of time.  The double stud wood framed walls and attic will be filled with cellulose, which is blown in.  The cellulose is compacted within the wall cavity in the densest way possible, which provides the maximum amount of insulation and does not allow any insulation to settle after the years pass by.  This cellulose is made from post-consumer recycled paper.

Now that the home is wrapped up tightly, it’s time to manage that insulation properly by containing the heat and managing energy.  Contrary to popular belief, Edmonton has more sunlight than some cities within the country.  The NetZero homes utilize this sunlight in many different ways to develop energy for heating and electricity.  The windows within the home will be thicker if they’re facing north and thinner if they’re facing south.  All Weather Windows provides amazing performance with their triple pane windows that are argon gas filled and glazed with insulating spacing between the panes.  These windows are strategically placed to allow the right amount of sunlight to flow through for a passive solar system.  Passive solar is designed to allow the south side of the home to absorb heat from the sun within what is referred to as “thermal mass”.  The thermal mass within these homes consists of features such as the concrete floor.  Once the thermal mass absorbs the heat, it radiates this heat throughout the day.  Concrete is an extremely heavy material to work with, and it requires strong floor joists to support it.  Hambro will provide the joists for the home and be the ultimate Popeye in concrete flooring development.  Solar panels (photovoltaic solar modules)  generate more electricity than one home can consume.  The excess electricity is then sold back to the grid (local utilities).  Money on the roof is money in the pocket!

Heating is a key element in NetZero design.  in order to design the homes properly, they must  ensure that the home will efficiently keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  There will be 3  unique heating systems for the NetZero Belgravia project.  Each home will have a different system.

Geothermal heating- Threshold Energies is the name, and geothermal is the game.  Threshold is a company that is near and dear to the Raising Spaces heart, and can be found in the Raising Spaces Green Pro directory.  They will be a key factor in the installation of the geothermal system.  Geothermal is more of an initial investment however, the efficiency percentage is about 250%.  Geothermal systems consist of a ground source heat pump that can completely replace natural gas with heating from the earth.

Electric baseboard heating- These heating systems are a much lower investment and reach 100% efficiency.  These heating systems perform efficiently because the heat that is generated at the floor level will rise and heat up the remainder of the room.

Air-source heat pump-  The Belgravia show-home will utilize an air source heat pump.  This system has been designed for the coldest of climates.  The efficiency levels of this system range from 100%-400%.  This efficiency fluctuation is dependent on the outdoor temperatures.

Each of the Belgravia home designs will include High efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV).   In order for an airtight home to exchange fresh outdoor air and stale indoor air, an HRV system must be installed.  Aside from the air exchange, this product also works by heating the incoming air with the exhausting air.  The heat that is recovered is approximately 88%.

If these systems seem confusing or complicated, join the Effect Building team this weekend (April 30-May 1) for a detailed tour of the show-home construction.  Not only are these homes providing exceptional performance, they are fantastic eye candy with extravagant curb appeal.  The future of home building is now. These homes tell a story of brilliant triumph over the army of cookie cutter home constructions that put efficiency, health, and above all sustainability at a standstill.  After you see them for yourself, join the community of people that want to change how our future is built.  Effect Builders are paving a green path, but Edmonton needs your help in changing the way this future is created.  HELP! CHANGE! GROW.