“Building Energy-Efficient and Healthy Homes Towards Net-Zero Carbon Footprints”
Having spent most of my life in Northern Canada and the Canadian Arctic, I understand firsthand the high costs associated with housing and its operation. Heating our homes, whether with oil or propane, requires transportation via truck or barge, which consumes a significant amount of energy and contributes to pollution.
In circumpolar Canada, the cost of operating a home can be exorbitant, often surpassing it’s amortized acquisition cost. To address this, constructing super-insulated building envelopes is a step towards more affordable and healthier homes. When determining best value in residential buildings, our government needs to also recognize and consider long-term operating costs rather than just the up-front cost to acquire a building.
The Energy Wall Building System is user-friendly for construction and cost-effective. This is the result of many years of research and development with Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) and building envelope experts. Investing in innovative, high-performance building envelopes, The Energy Wall™ Building System, even if it means exceeding the minimum requirements of the National Building Code, may initially increase insulation costs by up to 30%. However, this investment can reduce mechanical costs by 40% or more and fuel consumption by 60% or more. As a result, the initial investment can be quickly recovered, depending on logistics and location.
Building new homes or retrofitting existing ones, The Energy Wall™ Building System with advanced building techniques can provide immediate benefits and continue to offer returns for years. The Energy Wall™ Building System is an excellent starting point for improving energy consumption and high-building performance in both new constructions and retrofits towards passive ready envelops.