Net Zero - VerEco Home

Canada’s first
Net Zero
Home Exhibit
NOW
OPEN!
presented by:
2610 Lorne Ave. S.
Saskatoon, SK
Saskatoon
& Region
Home Builders
Association, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
2
About the Exhibit......................................................Page 3
Western Development Museum:
An ideal site for futuristic home exhibit..................Page 6
Introduction.............................................................Page 9
Innovative Design.....................................................Page 9
Site Sustainability...................................................Page 11
Location and Community.......................................Page 11
VerEco Home Features............................................Page 12
Expert Series Schedule...........................................Page 13
Water Efficiency.....................................................Page 16
Energy Efficiency....................................................Page 19
Materials and Resources.........................................Page 26
Indoor Air Quality..................................................Page 28
So What’s the Impact?............................................Page 28
Exhibit Sponsors.....................................................Page 31
Legend
Symbols:
= Smart Economics
= Water Efficiency
= Site Sustainability
= Materials and Recycling
= Innovative Design
= Indoor Air Quality
= Energy Efficiency
presented by:
about the exhibit
THE BASICS
The VerEco Home will be on
display outside the Saskatoon
Western Development Museum
starting October 27th, 2010.
The exhibit, which includes
guided educational tours, will
run for 10 to 12 months.
TOURS
Interested in learning more
about green, economical
building? 50-minute guided
educational tours of the VerEco
Home will be available daily.
All tours will begin inside the
museum.
The most up-to-date tour
schedule can be found on
the VerEco Home website at
verecohome.com or on the
Facebook Page.
HOW TO GET THERE
The VerEco Home is in front
of the Saskatoon Western
Development Museum, which is
located on Lorne Ave.
TICKETS
Tour Tickets will be available for $5
online at verecohome.com or in person
at the Western Development Museum.
ONLINE
For daily exhibit updates,
including photos, videos,
events, and promotions, go
to verecohome.com.
Tickets�������$5
Exhibit Duration
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Where������������������ WDM
Tour Length���� 50 min.
Buy Tickets������������������
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������������������������ WDM Saskatoon
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Canada’s first Net Zero Home
exhibit now open at Western
Development Museum
by Jeannie Armstrong, SP Creative Features Editor
The doors have opened to
Canada’s first Net Zero Home
exhibit at Saskatoon’s Western
Development Museum!
VerEco Homes’ interactive
exhibit demonstrates the future
of green home design, and the
ecological and economic benefits
of building and living smart.
Presented by SaskPower
eneraction, the VerEco Home will
be open for public tours, four
times a day, for one year. Students
from across the province will also
be touring the Net Zero Home
exhibit during special class tours.
A first for Canada, the Net
Zero Home exhibit will also be of
interest to design and construction
professionals, including architects,
builders, contractors, designers
and tradespeople. Education
seminars on green building
technologies for members of the
construction industry will be
offered throughout the year.
WHAT IS A
NET ZERO
HOME?
Considered by many to be
the future of residential
construction in Canada, a Net
Zero home produces as much
energy as it consumes annually.
Three strategies are employed
in achieving Net Zero:
1. REduce total energy
consumption
2. REuse as much energy as possible
3.
REplace remaining energy
requirements with
sustainable energy
including photovoltaic
systems
(solar energy).
page
6
The driving force behind
the opening of the unique
demonstration home is Ronn
Lepage, president of VerEco
Homes, a new Saskatoon company
focused on helping builders and
owners to design, construct and
maintain ultra-low energy homes.
In designing the 1,220 square
foot VerEco Home, Lepage worked
in tandem with world-renowned
building scientist Dr. Rob Dumont.
Considered by many to be one of
the founders of the green building
movement in Canada, Dumont
retired from the Saskatchewan
Research Council in 2008. He is
now a busy consultant on low
energy building technologies.
“Dr. Dumont led the design
team. Because of his vast
knowledge and experience, he has
the ability to take an energy-saving
technology and implement it in
a very cost effective way,” says
Lepage.
The architectural firm of
BlueSpot Consulting in Toronto
took Lepage’s vision and Dumont’s
technological savvy and created a
visually attractive and functional
blueprint for smart living. “We
wanted the VerEco home to look
unique, and it does,” says Lepage.
The VerEco Net Zero Home
employs REducing technologies,
including a compact design,
a super-insulated and sealed
building envelope including R100
attic insulation and 16 inch-thick
R60 walls, triple glazed energy
efficient windows and passive solar
design.
Energy consumption in lighting
and applicances is REduced
through the use of ENERGY STAR®
appliances, low-flow water fixtures,
and LED lighting.
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To REuse heat
energy in waste
air and water,
the home uses
heat recovery
ventilation
(HRV) and
drain water heat
recapture (DWHR)
technologies.
Solar thermal
panels on the southfacing exterior of the home
produce the energy to heat
water for the home. Electricity is
generated using a state-of-the-art
photovoltaic system, to REplace
remaining energy requirements.
Lepage’s goal is for the VerEco
Home to achieve LEED Platinum
certification. LEED Canada for
Homes, launched in March 2009,
certifies green homes using criteria
in eight different categories:
site selection, water efficiency,
materials & resources, energy &
atmosphere, indoor environmental
quality, location & linkages,
awareness & education, and
innovation. The green measures
are verified on-site by a third-party
verification team. Platinum is the
highest level of achievement in
the LEED third party certification
program.
“What’s unique about the VerEco
Net Zero Home is that its systems
are all integrated and very cost
efficient. Green construction has
been viewed in the past as very
expensive, but we set out to prove
that it is cost effective,” says
Lepage.
“The exhibit demonstrates not
only environmental and energysaving features, but also the
affordability of green building.”
The savings will continue
after homeowners occupy the
VerEco Home, adds Lepage. “The
homeowner will save about $4,000
a year in electricity costs. If you
multiply that by the 50 yearlifespan of the home, at today’s
electricity costs, that’s a total
saving of $200,000.”
The Net Zero home also reduces
water consumption by about twothirds. “In Saskatoon, a typical
family of four uses about 300
gallons of water per day. Our target
is to reduce that consumption to
about 100 gallons of water per
day,” says Lepage.
The home’s environmental
imprint was also reduced by
sourcing as many local products
as possible. “We chose low or noVOC building materials wherever
possible, from paint to flooring.
Recyclable materials were also
important,” says Lepage.
The ready-to-move (RTM) home
was constructed to VerEco Homes’
specifications by Nu-Fab Building
Products. “It was important to
me to find a locally owned and
operated builder who had the
capacity to grow with us and
embrace these new technologies,”
says Lepage.
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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Congratulations
to the VerEco Home
on your commitment
to Sustainable Housing.
To learn more about CMHC’s
investment in innovative Net-Zero
Energy homes across Canada visit
cmhc.ca/eqhousing or call
1-800-668-2642 to find out more.
page
8
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07/10/10 12:21 PM
introduction
The VerEco Home is
Canada’s first Net Zero home
exhibit. Designed and built by
Saskatchewan professionals for
Saskatchewan’s climate, the home
showcases smart, green building.
It will:
• Provide efficient use of potable
water,
• Provide efficient use of energy,
• Be built using environmentally
preferable products, and
• Have high indoor
environmental and air quality.
The home will also be built,
operated, and maintained in an
affordable manner.
Net zero means that a home has
an annual net energy consumption
of zero; it uses the same amount
of energy as it generates. Energy
consumption is based on heating
and cooling a home, heating water,
and operating the home’s lights,
appliances, and miscellaneous
devices. The VerEco Home saves
energy by reducing the amount
of energy the home requires,
reusing waste and excess energy,
and replacing conventional energy
sources with alternatives.
The VerEco Home is also
intended to reduce construction
waste by approximately 75%,
reduce water consumption by
over 66%, and improve indoor
air quality. As well, its compact
design helps reduce construction
costs, making the home more
affordable.
The home’s purpose is to reduce
environmental impacts while
providing a high standard of living
for its inhabitants.
INNOVATIVE Design
DESIGN BASICS
The VerEco Home
was designed over
a 9-month period
with input from
many different
consultants. This
integrated design
team included
architects,
scientists,
homebuilders,
and engineers.
Frequent
team meetings
were held, and
the design was
completed in May
2010.
Integrated
Design Team:
VerEco Homes Inc.
Dumont and Associates
Saskatchewan Research
Council
WSE Technologies
Rock Paper Sun
Interlink Research Inc.
Sun Ridge Group
NuFab Building Products
MidCon Engineering Ltd.
BlueSpot Consulting
Pinter and Associates
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INNOVATIVE DESIGN
PASSIVE SOLAR
Part of the design process
included selecting a proper
orientation for the house to allow
for passive solar heating and
cooling.
The home’s orientation ensures
that it receives enough sunlight on
its South side for the passive solar
design to work. As well, special
concrete floor tiles weighing 18
pounds per square foot were
designed to provide nearly
10,000 pounds of thermal mass
for passive heating and cooling.
These tiles also significantly
increase the durability of the
flooring, and are recyclable. For
more information about passive
solar design, go to page 20.
INNOVATION
Several innovative elements
were a part of the VerEco Home
design. The roof design is
especially sophisticated, since it
combines an appealing look with
technical elements. A roof slant of
62 degrees on the south side was
Passive solar heating
and cooling uses energy
from the sun to help
maintain a comfortable
temperature within a
structure. Window size
and placement, building
orientation, and thermal
mass are a number of
elements used by passive
solar technology.
page
10
(Continued)
chosen because it optimizes the
sunlight angle for the photovoltaic
panels while ensuring that snow
buildup is minimized. As well, the
roof overhang acts as an awning
to provide shade in summer
and let the sun in during winter
heating months as part of the
passive solar design.
COMPACT DESIGN
A major goal of the design team
was to achieve a compact and
efficient floor plan. Less space
means less required energy. The
first VerEco Home design was
1600 square feet, but the current
design is less than 1300 square
feet. This reduction was designed
to keep roughly the same amount
of living space, for example, by
eliminating hallways. A compact
design also allows for savings
in construction costs. At a total
construction cost of $200/square
foot, reducing the square footage
saved $60,000.
Thermal mass
relates to a material’s ability
to store heat and dampen
temperature changes. A
large amount of thermal
mass, for example, concrete,
will absorb heat when its
surroundings are warm,
and release heat when its
surroundings are cool.
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SITE SUSTAINABILITY
An important part of the home’s
impact on the environment is the
sustainability of its final resting
place. The site should maintain
as much permeability as possible,
keeping runoff to a minimum.
Landscaping should also help
manage the home’s water demand,
which can be done through
xeriscaping.
Finally, the roof design allows
for significant rainwater capture.
One inch of rain will result in over
3000 litres of water captured.
This helps reduce the site’s water
demand as well.
LOCATION AND
COMMUNITY
Although the VerEco Home will
spend the year at the Western
Development Museum site, it
will eventually be moved and
used as a residential home. When
it is moved to its final resting
place, it will be at Sarilia Country
Estates, located along the North
Saskatchewan River 25 minutes
away from Saskatoon.
Less than 50% of the site will
be disturbed at Sarilia Country
Estates. That is, less than 50% of
the lot area will be used for the
house, its deck, and driveway.
As well, the entire lot surface
will be permeable, including the
driveway.
Sarilia Country Estates was
chosen as a location for a number
of reasons. The first is that
Sarilia adheres to green design
principles, such as attempting
to preserve natural drainage
patterns, and requiring dark
sky compliant outdoor lighting.
Passive solar design is also
encouraged.
As well, Sarilia provides access
to open space, and requires
xeriscaping to reduce water
consumption. Finally, Sarilia
Country Estates provides a $9,000
BuildGreen rebate that reduces the
cost of the home.
What does dark sky
compliant mean?
What is xeriscaping?
Dark sky compliance
means that lighting does not
contribute to light pollution.
This is usually accomplished
by ensuring that lights face
downwards and are properly
covered.
Xeriscaping, which means
“dry landscaping”, is a way of
landscaping or gardening that
reduces water consumption.
Drought-tolerant plants are
used and run-off is minimized.
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11
50 Reasons to visit
General
Compact Design
Passive Solar Design

Roof Design (slope and awning)
Water resistant flooring
Rainwater capture system
Minimum envelope leakage
Sealed ventilation ducts
Insulated hot water distribution system
No air conditioning
The Energy Detective (TED) Energy Monitoring System
Windows
Doors
Cellulose Insulation
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Lumber
Solar thermal system
Greywater recycling
EnergyStar hot water heater
Phantom energy circuit
Photovoltaic (PV)
Hardie Board Exterior Cladding
Metal Roofing
Dark sky compliant lighting
Concrete floor tiles
Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting
Artwork from recycled material
Slant fin radiator
Localized thermostats
EnergyStar Fridge
EnergyStar Dishwasher
Walk-up pantry
Concrete counter top
Composting catcher
Recycling center
Bamboo flooring
Low flow faucets
Low flow showerhead
Low flow toilet
Drain water heat recovery
Linoleum flooring
EnergyStar clothes washer
Clothes line
Prefab concrete walls
Spray-in insulation in headers
Passive Radon ventilation
Access to open space
Erosion controls during construction
Over 50% of lot undisturbed
100% xeriscaped
100% permeable lot
No irrigation
Great Room
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Bedrooms
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Bathrooms
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Laundry
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Foundation
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Future Location (Sarilia)
LEGEND
 = Smart Economics
 = Site Sustainability
 = Innovative Design
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Kitchen
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Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Materials and Recycling
Indoor Air Quality
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Expert Series
The Expert Series is a series of lectures by specialists in the community
about various green building topics. The topics range from green
mortgages to photovoltaic cells, with speakers from many different
fields. The Expert Series is held in the VerEco Home on Tuesday
evenings at 7:00 p.m. starting November 2nd, 2010.
DATE TOPIC
SPEAKER
Nov. 2nd On the Road to Net Zero Homes
Dr. Dumont,
Dumont & Associates
Nov. 9th
B. Elliott, WSE
Solar Photovoltaic Electricity
Nov. 16th Healthy Homes
A. Mishra, CMHC
Nov. 23rd Net Metering
I. Loughran, SaskPower
Nov. 30th Increasing City Facility Efficiency C. Yates, City of Saskatoon
Dec. 7th Business Case for Green
Dec. 14th Green Mortgages
R. Lepage, Vereco Homes Inc.
S. Miller, Affinity
COST: $5.00 RSVP: www.verecohome.com
Check website for more Expert Series topics and dates.
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Deloitte is proud to support
VerEco Home in creating
a greener environment and
a sustainable living that
meets modern comfort.
www.deloitte.ca
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Cosmopolitan Industries &
Do You Want to
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Did you know that the Cosmo Industries recycling initiative results in the diversion of
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We give back
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The residential construction industry in Canada has made
significant strides in reducing the environmental impact of
housing over the past 30 years. With programs such as
R-2000, ENERGYSTAR® for New Homes and LEED®
Canada for Homes, builders, and consumers, have choice in
designing and building energy efficient homes for every
budget or need. The Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’
Association encourages everyone to visit the VerEco Home
LEED Demonstration Project to learn more about leading
edge design, products and building practices that can further
reduce the environmental impact of future housing.
For more information about the Saskatoon & Region
Home Builders’ Association, visit our website
at www.saskatoonhomebuilders.com.
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Water Efficiency
Why conserve water? Treating
water to a potable level requires
chemical and energy inputs.
Whenever water can be conserved,
it reduces the amount of energy
and chemicals used in treatment,
and helps preserve water resources.
Hot water also requires energy to
heat it. It’s especially important to
recognize that many uses of water
do not require it to be potable. For
instance, it’s not necessary to flush
a toilet with water that is safe for
drinking.
Conserving water
also helps reduce the
amount of wastewater
generated by a home,
which can be costly
and energy-intensive
to treat.
(Source: Water.org)
A typical Saskatoon home uses
300 liters of potable water per
person per day. This means that
a typical family of four would be
using 1200 liters of drinkable water
per day. With the VerEco Home’s
water efficiency and conservation
features, though, the home’s water
use will be reduced over 66% to less
than 100 liters per person per day.
The VerEco Home will conserve
water using several methods. First,
all of the home’s water fixtures are
very high efficiency. This includes
taps, toilets, showerheads, and
more.
Additionally, the VerEco Home will
capture and re-use greywater
from the bathtubs, bathroom sinks,
and clothes washer. Greywater is
a type of wastewater. Household
wastewater can be grouped into
two categories: greywater and
blackwater. Blackwater, or sewage,
is water that has been used to
flush the toilets, while greywater
has been used elsewhere in the
home. Greywater comes from sinks,
the dishwasher, baths or showers,
and the kitchen, among other
places.
Water efficiency and conservation
are huge factors in green design
and sustainable living. Fresh water
is one of the Earth’s most scarce
resources.
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16
Only 1% of
the Earth’s
water is
available
for drinking
water
(Source: City of
Saskatoon)
presented by:
In the VerEco Home, greywater
will be collected from its cleanest
sources. The kitchen sink and
dishwasher will not provide
greywater for reuse because of
the high level of food particles
and other contaminants in the
water. Once the greywater has
been collected, it will be filtered,
chlorinated, and then used to
flush the home’s toilets. Recycling
this water will help to reduce the
home’s use of potable water.
Finally, the VerEco Home’s
roof has been designed for easy
rainwater capture. 90% of the roof
surface is dedicated to rainwater
harvest. Once captured, cisterns
will be used to store the rainwater.
Every
drop counts!
Leaking taps and
plumbing fixtures are pouring
money down the drain! A
dripping tap can waste up to
3,400 litres per month, and
a leaking toilet can waste up
to 7,800 litres per month
for a total dollar value
of $16/month or $192/
year. (Source: City of
Saskatoon).
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Saskatchewan Research Council
WIndoWs inspired by you
Providing smart science solutions for
technological problems is what the
Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is
all about. Our building performance work
demonstrates the energy and money
savings that are possible for new and
existing Saskatchewan buildings.
SRC evaluates efficiency of building energy
systems, building envelopes and indoor air
quality. We work with design professionals
to implement the most affordable and
sustainable solutions.
Your window
of opportunity.
To learn more visit www.src.sk.ca.
Saskatchewan Research Council
Saskatoon l Regina l Prince Albert
Z1620090.j27
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Proud to partner with
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We can help you balance your financial goals
with your social and environmental values.
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energy Efficiency
The VerEco Home is a Net Zero home, meaning it produces as much
energy as it consumes. How does the home achieve this? First, it’s
important to understand how a typical home functions.
CONVENTIONAL
HOMES
A home consumes energy in three
areas:
-Space Heating,
-Domestic Hot Water, and
-Lights, Appliances, and
Miscellaneous.
The average Saskatchewan home
draws energy from SaskPower,
which is generated by:
-Coal (48%),
-Hydro (25%),
-Natural Gas (22%), and
-Wind (5%).
Energy is usually lost or wasted
through:
-Poor insulation (walls, ceiling, windows),
-A leaky building envelope, and
-Low efficiency appliances and mechanical.
If the VerEco Home were built to
minimum construction standards,
it would require over 40,000
kWh of energy per year. This
includes over 22,000 kWh for
space heating, over 8,000 kWh
for domestic hot water, and over
8,500 kWh for lights, appliances,
and mechanical.
If all of the 40,000 kWh of energy
were supplied by conventional offsite electricity, the VerEco Home
The design team used
Natural Resources
Canada Hot2000
software to model homes
and estimate their
energy requirements.
would have annual energy costs
of about $4,000. This is because,
in Saskatchewan, each kWh of
electricity costs 10.86 cents. As
well, each kWh generates 0.832
kg of greenhouse gas emissions.
If the home’s electricity were
supplied conventionally, it would
generate around 33 tonnes of
greenhouse gas per year.
VERECO HOME
To achieve net zero, the VerEco
Home design team made a plan to:
REduce the amount of energy required,
REuse waste or excess energy, REplace conventional nonrenewable off-site energy
sources with sustainable on-site
ones.
Reducing the amount of energy
required can be through improved
building design, reduced hot
water consumption, and efficient
appliances. Reusing waste energy
can be done with technologies
like heat recovery ventilation
and drain water heat recovery.
Conventional energy can be
replaced with alternative energy,
such as passive solar, solar hot
water, wind, geothermal, and
photovoltaic.
What is a kWh?
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a way
of measuring energy use. It
means 1000 Watt-hours (Wh),
where Watts measure power,
and hours measure time. For
example, if a 100-Watt light bulb
were used for one hour, that
would equal 100 Wh, or 0.1 kWh.
page
19
potential energy efficiency strategies
Space Heating/
Cooling
Domestic Hot Water
Lights, Appliances,
Mechanical
Reduce
Compact design
Massing and
alignment
Passive Solar
Super insulated
envelope
Air barrier
Low flow shower and
taps
EnergyStar hot water
heater, dish washer
and clothes washer
CFL or LED lighting
EnergyStar appliances
Phantom energy
Reuse
Heat Recovery
Ventilation
Drain Water Heat
Recapture
Heat from electrical
appliances
Replace
Solar hot water
Geothermal
Wood stove
Solar hot water
Geothermal
Wood stove
Photovoltaic
Wind
Micro Hydro
PASSIVE SOLAR
The home’s passive solar design
captures the sun’s energy by using
a ratio of south window area to
floor area of 6%. This means that
the area of window is 6% of the
area of heated floor area, which
is the optimum balance between
capturing heat and reducing costs
for this particular home. The
home’s south-facing windows are
the optimum size and orientation
to allow the sun’s energy into the
living space. Once the sunlight
is in the building, slate-coloured
concrete tiles store the energy.
June 21
12 noon
December 21
12 noon
The roof overhangs help to regulate how much sun comes into
the building by blocking the sun in summer, and allowing sunlight in
during the winter. When the concrete tiles absorb heat, they slowly
release it throughout the day, warming the
house. As well, to maximize sunlight
What’s
and improve insulation, the home’s
windows are triple-glazed and
an R-value?
rated with an approximate
R-value of 6.
An R-value measures
how well something insulates
against heat loss. Higher
R-values show that the material
is a better insulator, while
lower values mean that it’s
less effective. Typical new
homes would have about
R-20 walls and R-40
ceilings.
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20
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Insulation, Air Barriers, and
Windows
The VerEco Home’s building envelope has been super-insulated to
ensure optimal indoor environmental conditions throughout the year
and to drastically reduce the amount of energy required for heating and
cooling.
The home’s walls are constructed to
provide R-60 level insulation.
They are 16 inches
thick, and are filled
with cellulose fiber
insulation. Cellulose
fiber insulation is
made out of recycled
newsprint that has
been treated for
fireproofing. Not only
does this insulation
help recycle old
newspapers, but it
also stores carbon
that would otherwise
be released into
the atmosphere as
greenhouse gases.
Double Wall
Construction
There is a polyethylene air barrier on the inside of the wall.
Approximately one third (1/3) of the energy required to heat and
cool a typical home is used to counteract air infiltration and escape.
The home’s air barrier significantly reduces the number of unwanted
interior-exterior air exchanges. It allows for 1 air change per hour.
The insulation in the VerEco Home ceiling provides an R-value of
100. It’s important to have a higher level of insulation in the ceiling
because less expensive insulation can be used. A well-insulated ceiling
allows the home to be much more energy efficient.
In the average home, windows
account for up to 25% of the total
heat energy loss. The windows
Low
of the VerEco Home, as
emissivity
explained in the Passive
Solar section, are all
means that a material does
triple-glazed. With an
not emit energy by radiation
approximate R-value
very easily. Low emissivity (low-e)
of 6, the windows are
windows help keep heat from entering
very high quality. They
the home from the outside during
are also equipped
summer, and they also keep heat that
with low emissivity
has been absorbed into the home’s
coatings and have
thermal mass and radiated into
argon gas between the
the air inside the house
glazings.
during winter.
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SPACE HEATING AND COOLING
Although seemingly contrary to
the home’s green design strategy,
electric heat was selected for the
VerEco Home. This was done for
several reasons:
- The heating energy
requirements for the home are
very low,
- Electric auxilary heat has a low
capital cost,
- Electric provides a very efficient
source of heat energy, and
- Each room is a separate zone
for maximum control and
minimum usage.
Excess capacity from the home’s
solar hot water panels will be used
for space heating, which will be
done using baseboard convection
heaters, since the home has no
furnace. As well, a super-insulated
building envelope combined
with high thermal mass, along
with external shading for the
south windows helps to maintain
comfortable indoor temperatures
during the hot summer months.
Since this eliminates the need for
space cooling systems, there is
no air conditioner in the VerEco
Home.
The VerEco Home will also use
a heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
system to recapture heat energy
from exhaust air. In a home as
well insulated and airtight as the
VerEco Home, adequate ventilation
is very important for fresh air and
moisture control. Without proper
ventilation, air quality becomes
an issue and moisture can damage
the home.
HRV systems allow warm,
stale air from inside the house
to heat incoming fresh air from
the outside. This heat exchange
is done without the two streams
of air mixing by using a special
exchanger. This offers improved
climate control for the home, as
well as the ability to capture and
reuse waste or excess heat.
DOMESTIC HOT WATER
Personal hot water use in the
home is significantly reduced
through the use of restricted
flow showerheads. EnergyStar
appliances, such as the
dishwasher and clothes washer,
reduce hot water consumption
as well. An extremely efficient
EnergyStar hot water heater helps
reduce wasted energy, as does the
compact design of the home’s hot
water distribution system.
Heat Recovery Ventilator
Stale air
from inside
Pre-heated
fresh air to
inside
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22
Fresh air
from outside
Stale air to
outside
presented by:
Your water heater is
one of the biggest
energy users
in your home,
second only to the
furnace.
The home’s
solar hot water
panels generate
a significant
amount of the total
energy required to
(Source: City of
heat the home’s water.
Saskatoon)
As well, drain water heat
recovery systems in both
bathrooms recapture heat from
waste hot water.
Drain Water Heat
Recovery System
Alternative Energy
The VerEco Home includes solar thermal systems to provide hot
water for domestic hot water and space heating. Solar photovoltaic
panels will generate electricity for lights, appliances, and mechanical.
Solar
Photovoltaic
Panels
The difference between the two is that a solar thermal system uses
solar energy to heat water, while photovoltaic panels convert the same
energy into electricity.
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presented by:
23
Z1620060.J27
SP/Terry/Blue
page
24
PDF
presented by:
Lights, Appliances, and Miscellaneous
The home uses highly efficient
compact fluorescent light (CFL)
and light emitting diode (LED)
bulbs. Energy requirements
are also significantly reduced
with EnergyStar appliances
throughout the home. Some
of these appliances include
the refrigerator, freezer,
and dishwasher. Using these
appliances can reduce the energy
used by up to 70%.
The VerEco Home will also
include phantom energy circuits.
These circuits are connected to
a switch that can cut off energy
flow to idle electric appliances and
devices.
Phantom energy is the
term used to describe energy
consumed by electric appliances
and devices while switched off
or in standby mode. Phantom
energy load accounts for about
5% of an average home’s energy
consumption.
With all of the above reductions
in demand and reuse of waste and
excess energy, the home’s energy
requirements were reduced from
40,000 kWh to 9,500 kWh.
This lower demand will then be
supplied using alternative energy.
Compact
Fluorescent Light (CFL)
bulbs use at least 66 per cent
less electricity than incandescent
light bulbs and last 8 times longer.
Seasonal LED light strings use at
least 90 per cent less electricity than
incandescent light strings. In fact, it
takes as much electricity to power one
small incandescent light bulb as it
does to power 140 LEDs.
(Source: SaskPower)
According to SaskPower,
almost half (46%) of the
electrical energy used in the
average Saskatchewan home
is to power large and small
appliances. About 21% of
energy use is for lighting.
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25
MATERIALS & RESOURCES
The VerEco Home’s design
team set 5 resource and material
conservation goals to reduce
environmental disturbance.
The goals:
1. The home was to be
constructed from locally
produced, environmentally
preferable products and materials
2. Products and materials were
to be durable and sourced from
renewable or recyclable resources
3. Only low emission ecofriendly paints, sealants, and
insulation were to be used
4. No environmental
contamination or degradation
from the construction process was
to be tolerated
5. The construction process
needed to be both efficient and
low waste.
One way construction waste
was minimized was through the
design of a 48’ by 32’ floor, which
uses standard material sizes.
Prefabricated (prefab)
construction methods
were chosen for the VerEco
Home because they met the
team’s material and resource
requirements. Prefab achieves
between 50% and 75% less
waste than traditional on-site
construction and takes less time.
Floor System
Waste
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26
presented by:
Z1620100.j27
Pony Tab/Terry/Blue
PDF
Z1620120.j27
Pony Tab/Terry/Blue
PDF
page
presented by:
27
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
The quality of a home’s interior environment is just as important as
the relationship between the home and the exterior environment. To
that end:
• Having no combustion gas
appliances reduces inhabitant
exposure to toxins.
• Continuous outdoor venting
through the heat recovery
ventilation system (HRV)
maintains high indoor air
quality.
• The HRV system removes
excess airborne moisture from
bathrooms and kitchens.
• During construction, continual
contamination control and
a preoccupancy flush were
performed to eliminate any
volatile organic compounds.
• A passive ventilation system
eliminates inhabitant exposure
to gases such as Radon.
• No attached garage
helps reduce the risk of
contamination from automotive
pollutants.
• MERV 13 air filters work with
the home’s HRV system to
remove breathable-sized
particles like bacteria and mold
spores.
Z1620160.j27
SP/Terry/Blue
Graphic
page
28
presented by:
Z1620270.j27
vereco homes/terry/Blue
PDF
Z1620260.J27
SP/TERRY/Blue
Graphic
bringing style to your walls in a new way
LOGO DEVELOPMENT
MENU DESIGN
ILLUSTRATION
BRANDING
MARKETING TOOLS
quality, colour and zero VOC paint all in one
651-7383
Proud Supporter of
Vereco Homes
,
#3 2210 Millar Ave. Saskatoon, SK ph.(306)384.5483
Commited to making our communities
and our planet a better place to live.
115 WALL STREET, SASKATOON, SK
page
presented by:
29
SO WHAT’S THE IMPACT?
75% Construction waste
100% Energy use
66% Water use
33 tonnes
Green House Gas Emissions
Produces Energy
Modern, smart GREEN
(Passive Solar Photovoltaic & Solar Thermal)
Indoor Air Quality
HOMES
Over a 50-year lifetime, this means that the home would
starting at $125 sq/ft!
reduce GHG emissions by over 1650 tonnes, would save over
14.5 million litres of water, and would save 2 million kwh of
Z1620110.j27
conventional energy.
Pony Tab/Terry/Blue
Starting at $125 sq/ft!
page
30
PDF
vereco.ca
presented by:
EXHIBIT PARTNERS
NEWS TALK 650
CKOM
Saskatoon
& Region
Home Builders
Association, Inc.
Building Confidence and Communities
,
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31