The Invisible Pollution Produced by Your Home

The optimum solution is to build a home that could produce as much energy as it uses; this can be relatively simple and more economical than you think. The ultimate goal of course is for all building to be built to this standard so we can hit our GHG emissions targets recently set in Paris. This type of home is referred to as a Net Zero Energy (NZE) Home and this standard can be applied to both new homes and retrofits.

Of course there are additional benefits in having a NZE home that may be more obvious to you as the homeowner than the elimination of that invisible gas. Some of the more tangible benefits are as follows:

1. Better thermal comfort – an energy efficient home is one that is well sealed with really good windows and lots of insulation in the walls, roof and basement. This eliminates the cold drafts and keeps the home cool in summer.
2. Healthier home – A well-sealed home needs to have a properly designed and installed whole home fresh air system that exchanges the damp stale air and replaces it with fresh outdoor air. Of course to save energy the ventilation system needs to scrub the thermal energy from the exhaust air and transfer it to the fresh air. This unit is called and HRV, to learn more check out my blog on indoor air quality.
3. A durable home – To achieve the energy efficiency required to deliver a home that could produce as much energy as it uses, the construction detailing needs to be of a very high quality. This attention to detail ensures that moisture both from outside and inside never collects inside the home, walls and roof. This eliminates the risk of mold and mildew and ensures long term low cost performance.
4. Better resale value – Evidence is starting to show that home buyers are recognizing the benefits of energy efficient construction and are willing to pay a premium to get them.