Outstanding Energy Efficiency Project: Residential New Construction, EcoPlusHome (Bathurst)
Put simply, the EcoPlusHome is the most energy efficient home on record with Efficiency NB’s New Homes Program. The home was built this year in Bathurst through the collaboration and partnership of a number of companies who were brought together by Axel Lerche of marketing firm Tight Lines Production Ltd.
The goal with the EcoPlusHome was to create a smart home environment in which the occupants did not rely on fossil fuels for electricity and heating needs. The home was designed as a complete system which began with site selection and orientation, incorporated supreme energy efficient systems and materials, a sophisticated technology component, as well as a well built modular home.
The project involved 15 partners, all recruited by Lerche to contribute toward the home’s completion. The German company Bosch Thermotechnology combined and integrated a solar thermal system for the home’s hot water needs, photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and a heat recovery ventilation system with a geothermal heat pump to provide heating and cooling for the extreme winter and summer temperatures possible in Bathurst. These systems work together to provide all the energy required for the home’s operation and for its occupants. When this is achieved the home can be referred to as a net–zero home.
The modular home was built by Maple Leaf Homes with guidance from Efficiency NB and placed on an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation provided by Bird Stairs of Fredericton. It has very high levels of insulation and air sealing in the walls, attic, basement and floor headers, as well as energy efficient windows and doors.
The project is now complete and will, for the next year, serve as the home to a local Bathurst family. Bryan Kenny, his wife and four children will live in the net-zero home and write about their experience on the website ecoplushome.com.
The EcoPlusHome web site will also offer educational opportunities for consumers actively considering the possibilities of environmental housing. The site acts as one location to ask experts for advice, talk to others about their experiences and learn about the ever-evolving field of environmental construction.
“The goal was not to build a house, but to create a community of consumers wanting to make a difference,” concludes Lerche. “Our goal is to save the planet one house at a time. This is a journey into the future of home construction and everyone is invited to come along.”
Efficiency NB chose the EcoPlusHome as the award recipient for the New Homes category because it achieved an EnerGuide rating of 96, unprecedented in New Brunswick.
Source: Efficiency NB
