Climate Friendly Homes Tour

Visit energy-efficient, climate resilient homes across BC

552-3 Amess St

Heat Recovery

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Note:  This is one of three homes and a laneway house with Sustainable Home Info Sessions and (free) registration is required. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. View schedule and registration.

This Step Code 3 laneway home (LWH) was built in 2020 and it is a zero carbon build.

Building to a higher step code in a smaller space was challenging and the primary lesson we learned was that finesse was required in specific building practices where historically it was less important.   Higher levels of step code require a well sealed envelope with appropriate ventilation. An Energy Recovery Ventilation unit (ERV) and appropriate ventilation was incorporated, but sealing the building envelope was challenging. It is crucial that the vapour barrier installed after insulation does not have any holes, however the crew that did the install did not pay enough attention to the details and that required significant ‘re do’ time to make it right.  We failed the first blower door test and needed a smoke test to identify leakage points before we passed the second blower door test that enabled us to meet Step Code 3 standards.

As every square inch is important in a laneway home, the indoor fan coil unit selected was a horizontal unit and it is installed on the ceiling of the laundry room.  Also, to conserve space an electric hot water on demand system was used, which is also challenging and has some issues to be considered.

An induction cook top was selected and has proved to be impressive.  A professional chef was a tenant and was very pleased with how fast it brought water to a boil and how precisely cooking ‘temperatures’ could be controlled.

Consideration to climate adaptation was incorporated into the build. This home is very close to the Caribou Heights Forest so fire resistant materials were used, such as a metal roof, hardy plank siding and rock wool outsulation.   Other reasons we decided on a metal roof was the life span of 40 years, which is about the same as solar, so both can be replaced at the same time, and the metal is recyclable.  Additionally, larger scale water collection was planned and a metal roof* was a good fit for that purpose (this project is currently in progress).

*Note:  not all metal roofs are appropriate for water collection.

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We are thrilled to invite you to tour Casa Moreno, a single family home that incorporates cutting-edge construction techniques which significantly reduce the embodied carbon footprint and waste.

The home design also reduces future energy requirements by up to 90% through Passive House Design, will conserve and protect water resources and promote occupant well-being through healthy material selections. In addition to prioritizing both planetary and human health, the project incorporates universal design and disaster resilient principles while being budget conscious.

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This heritage home, known as the Whitehead Residence or Hammond Forever House, may not look like a low-energy, fossil-fuel free house, but it has been retrofit and restored, insulated and sealed. In 2024, the total energy costs, including heating, cooling and powering two EVs was $993.89. This work earned the project local and provincial heritage conservation awards in 2023, its 100th year. 

This tour will interest anyone with questions about the choices and compromises that happen when retrofitting an older home. You will learn about: aiming for net-zero energy use; where heritage considerations compliment or conflict with an energy retrofit; lifting a home to dig a new foundation; insulating beneath foundations and basement slabs; how to super-insulate and seal a pre-existing standard wall; hydronic in-floor and under-floor heating; heat pumps; keeping the air fresh in a well-sealed home without losing heat (heat-recovery ventilation); spray foam insulation; All things solar: installation, incentives, hydronic (hot water) collectors vs. solar photo-voltaic panels, net-metering with BC Hydro vs. battery back-up; how to live without a gasoline-fueled car; how to reduce your household waste so you can cancel your garbage pick-up service; how a heritage revitalization agreement can help; and rainwater conservation.

Much of the home will be open with signage pointing out key elements. The owners will be on hand to answer your questions and key professionals involved in the project have been invited to share their expertise.

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1482 sq ft single detached home completed in 2022. This Step 5 (net-zero ready) build by Trevor Bird Design and Build uses super efficient insulation, a heat recovery system, electric appliances and solar panels. The insulated wall system was prefabricated and delivered to the construction site by Collective Construction, a local business in Invermere, BC.