Climate Friendly Homes Tour

Visit energy-efficient, climate resilient homes across BC

2601 12th Street

Vernon

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This home was one of the first to participate in the HomeZero Collective, a local non-profit initiative to undertake neighbourhood-wide clean energy retrofits.

The homeowner’s goal was to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and move away from fossil fuels—plus generate enough solar power on her own to fuel more efficient electric systems. Upgrades include:

  • Geothermal system with electrical backup system
  • Hybrid electric hot water tank
  • Solar photovoltaic system to power all appliances and new heating equipment
  • Building envelope upgrades
  • Level 2 EV charging outlet

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We built our new Net Zero Home (to Step 5+ of the BC Building Code) on an urban infill lot and moved in during August of 2019. We designed the home from the top down to include a full array of energy efficient features:

  • standing seam metal roofing (off white, 8.5/12 pitch south facing)
  • 35 (now 41) solar panels
  • Hardie Board siding, exterior insulation (Roxsul Comfort Board), blown-in dense pack cellulose insulation in all exterior wall cavities (~R38)
  • 24″+ cellulose attic insulation (~R60)
  • triple pane windows and doors
  • air sealed envelope (less than 0.59 ACH)
  • covered wrap-around concrete deck on south and west sides
  • exterior sun shades on exposed east, south and west facing windows
  • in-floor heating/cooling on all levels using an air to water heat pump (HP)
  • HRV for interior fresh air supplied through earth tubes which pre-warm or cool incoming air
  • passive solar hot water preheat
  • our hybrid (HP) electric hot water tank also provides cold air to our cold room, grey water diversion to irrigate our xeriscape garden seasonally.

We have no gas BBQ or natural gas service so have no GHG emissions.

Our EV (Chevy Bolt) is usually charged at our 32 Amp level 2 charging station. We are signed up with the BC Hydro Net Metering Program so we put power into the grid for 8 months per year, building up credits and draw back from the grid for the remaining 4 months. Last calendar year (2024) we ‘owed’ BC Hydro about $0.50 for 4.64 Kwh of electricity.

In the spring, we plant a green screen of scarlet runner beans along the south side of the deck which grows up to shade the deck from the summer sun while attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. It also provides us with beans for winter soups. Our home has both an indoor and ‘outdoor’ workshop, a green house, roof-top terrace and an outdoor shower which is used year round.