Energy efficient homes at all income levels

Two new houses built by the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation (WHRC) in the North End are aiming to make renewable and low energy living affordable for all income levels.

The WHRC was selected by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation to build one of fifteen demonstration homes across Canada under the EQuilibrium Initiative.

One of the homes on at 541-545 William is built to be as close to energy net-zero as possible. A home that is net-zero produces as much energy as it consumes. The other home is built to R-2000 standards, ensuring that the home is energy efficient, air tight and built using materials and systems that are environmentally responsible.

“This project will impact not only the North End,” said Menno Peters, executive director of the WHRC. “It encourages building practices that will reduce the energy requirements of other new houses built across the city.”

Project manager Stephanie Haight says that the WHRC realized early on in the planning process that renewable energy technology can be expensive, even for those not living on low income. To reduce the technology costs, the WHRC first focused on housing design and insulation, notes Haight.

The houses were designed with Winnipeg’s seasons in mind, says Haight. Windows are south-facing to capture daylight heat in the winter, with solar screens that prevent heat from getting in during the summer.

The homes both have exterior double walls that are 16 inches thick, as well as fully insulated basements and attics. These design features alone helped make the homes nearly net zero, notes Haight.

With an energy-efficient building design in place, the WHRC then focused on including renewable energy systems in each of the homes. The homes feature dual heat recovery ventilator air exchange systems, says Peters, where heat is recaptured from the air that is circulated in and out of the house.

Each of the homes have solar panels which, together with two large water tanks, radiant coils and a fan, form the heating system instead of a furnace, says Haight.

The homes are also built using reclaimed materials wherever possible. The flooring in both homes is made from diseased Winnipeg elm trees that would normally have been disposed of, notes Haight.

Further, says Haight, the homes are built using materials that release few volatile organic compounds, compounds that could be harmful to people with environmental sensitivities.

“We’re making sure the homes are as healthy as possible and affordable as well,” she said.

The official opening will take place in the New Year. The homes will be sold to low-income residents at subsidized rates.

“If the people purchasing these homes are on low-income, and energy costs increase in the future, we wanted to make sure that these owners would not be as negatively affected by possible future increases in energy costs,” said Haight.

Other partners in the EQuilibrium Initiative include The Winnipeg Foundation, the City of Winnipeg’s Housing and Homeless Initiative, Manitoba Hydro and provincial Science, Technology Energy and Mines and the Sustainable Development Innovation Fund.

Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation’s Winnipeg Equilibrium Home: Urban Ecology