What does making sustainable choices mean?

Behind the drywall: After stripping away all the cosmetic beauty some homes hide behind, you’ll see the real truth behind a 2020 Home. A strong foundation, well planned out framing, rain screening to protect against west coast weather, circulation and installation to help with air quality, highly effective double insulated windows, and insulated water lines are just a few examples of a quality well built healthy home.

 

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Plumbing natural gas for cooking and heating your home.

 

Natural Gas

A significant amount of energy used in Canadian homes goes into heating domestic water. An on demand water system is reported to be 80-85% more energy efficient than the traditional hot water tank system, which consistently heats your tank of water even when you are not using it. Where an On Demand system only heats the water when you physically turn the tap on. Who wouldn’t want endless hot water delivered throughout their home. Installing a water on demand system is great way to heat only the water you need when you need it. These systems are built without a tank, which means you say goodbye forever to that ugly space stealing hot water tank. Did I mention that your CO2 emissions will be reduced by 900-1000 pounds per year per average household installation!

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Heat only what you use by installing an on-demand water system.

 

Water on demand

A significant amount of energy used in Canadian homes goes into heating domestic water. An on demand water system is reported to be 80-85% more energy efficient than the traditional hot water tank system, which consistently heats your tank of water even when you are not using it. Where an On Demand system only heats the water when you physically turn the tap on. Who wouldn’t want endless hot water delivered throughout their home. Installing a water on demand system is great way to heat only the water you need when you need it. These systems are built without a tank, which means you say goodbye forever to that ugly space stealing hot water tank. Did I mention that your CO2 emissions will be reduced by 900-1000 pounds per year per average household installation!

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Updating windows for better instillation.

 

Energy Efficient Windows

Window technology is improving rapidly. Select the most cost-effective windows with a heat loss rate of U-0.25 or lower. In some situations and climates, this may be advanced double-glazed windows, while other situations may call for triple-glazed windows. Affordable triple-pane windows are beginning to appear on the market with heat loss rates as low as U-0.10. Let window specifications and your energy model be your guide.

Also consider size. More heat flows through the frame than the insulated glass unit. This has two implications. First, look for windows that have the smallest frame profile, because the frame has a higher thermal transmission than the glazing. Second, it is more energy efficient to use fewer, larger windows with the same glazing area than more, smaller windows, because larger windows have a higher glass to frame ratio.

 

Insulation

If you want to achieve a net-zero home, the building envelope must be highly-efficient. Building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) offer a level of thermal performance that is considered to be greater than the sum of its parts. This is known as the ICF effect. Insulation is clearly important, however, the performance of a wall assembly is more critical than the insulation itself.

Exterior walls made with ICFs require 44% less energy to heat and 33% less energy to cool when compared to wood-framed walls, even though both had a similar insulation value. Despite this, ICFs create a much more energy-efficient building.

Not afraid of being in the nude, we are proud of the products and craftsmanship put into all the details you never see. This is why your home will become a family heirloom, housing a lifetime of memories.

Darcy Robson