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More and more homeowners are renovating existing homes to make them ‘net zero’ energy consumers. Here’s how.
(Eco Business, 8 Jan 2020) Energy-conscious retrofits can dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of housing without the need to start from scratch.
With the world in an unprecedented climate crisis, many of us wonder what we can do as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint. A significant step could begin at home.
In Canada, housing and other buildings account for up to 17 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, “operational emissions” — emissions from the energy used to heat, cool, light and operate buildings — accounts for 28 per cent of global carbon emissions.
One way to reduce this is to make homes “net zero” energy — able to produce as much energy as they consume thanks to solar panels, heat pumps, a super-tight barrier between the inside and outside, above-code insulation, and energy-efficient windows, lighting and appliances.
New homes can be built to such specifications. But even better from a climate perspective, according to the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) — a network of national green building councils in some 70 countries worldwide — is to renovate existing homes. That’s because renovation reduces the need for new building materials, which require energy to produce, transport and install in the first place.
Energy upgrades
Toronto-area engineer and net zero housing expert Michael Lio, president of buildABILITY, identifies upgrades to exterior elements of the home, such as windows and insulation, as primary ways to affordably move toward net zero energy.
Lio says that how your utility produces electricity is a big factor in achieving net zero in a renovation. “In the province of Ontario, where I live and work, our electricity grid is 94 per cent carbon-free, so it’s easy to get to [net zero]. You just switch from gas to electric and install a cold climate air-source heat pump to heat and cool your home,” he says.
Eco Business, 8 Jan 2020: More and more homeowners are renovating existing homes to make them ‘net zero’ energy consumers. Here’s how.
