Over 400 members of the public showed up at Reid’s Heritage Homes’ grand opening for its newly constructed Net Zero Energy Home in Guelph, ON, on September 19. The Net Zero Discovery Home is the first to be completed as part of a national demonstration project to prove that Net Zero homes can be built on a community-level scale.
Features of the home include: advanced heating and cooling capabilities, with a modulated delivery system and floor zoning; 33 solar panels on the back roof; hybrid heat pump water heater; drain water heat recovery system; insulated and airtight design provide an advanced envelope style; and triple pane windows. The home has three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and offers 1775 sq. ft. of living space. It is listed for sale at $523,525
The goal of the project is to make Net Zero Energy homes, which can produce as much energy as they consume on an annual basis, fully accessible and affordable to all Canadians. Reid’s Heritage Homes, which is building five homes as part of this project, is one of five builders that were selected to participate in the national project. At least 25 Net Zero Energy homes will be built in Nova Scotia, Québec, Alberta, and Ontario. This total will almost double the amount of Net Zero Energy homes currently in Canada.
The project is funded in part by the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII), with contributions from each participating builder, industry suppliers and Owens Corning Canada. Reid’s Heritage Homes’ first five Net Zero homes are being built in the builder’s signature family community of Westminster Woods, located in Guelph.
Construction Voyer is building a three-storey condominium with six units in Laval, QC and Minto Communities is constructing a single detached model home and a row of four townhouses in Kanata (ouside of Ottawa, ON). Mattamy Homes Limited in Calgary, AB, Provident Development Inc. in Halifax, NS and Reid’s Heritage Homes are each building five single detached homes in Calgary, Halifax and Guelph.
