Giant leap forward for sustainable housing

A zero emission house is right in your backyard.

Imagine standing in your kitchen on cork flooring, eating food that you prepared with energy efficient appliances on a counter made of recycled glass. This is not a dream. This is possible. A house that conserves as much energy as it uses is not an idea of the future. It is happening right here in Calgary, right now.

You don’t need to turn on the LED lights because there are plenty of eco resin light panels providing light. You aren’t surrounded by chemicals because the cabinets and doors are formaldehyde free and the paint on the walls does not emit Volatile Organic Compounds. Thermal solar panels heat your water and electric radiant heating panels heat your house. The EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative is a national initiative created by the Canada and Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It aims to build highly energy-efficient, low environmental impact homes that will eventually develop into communities. The houses employ a wide variety of technologies, products and techniques designed to keep environmental impact to a minimum.

The house features a sediment removal filter that collects rainwater in underground cisterns. The garage door is passively solar heated by way of a polycarbonate garage door. Everything in the interior and exterior of the house was put together with sustainability in mind. The choice of the building materials took into account their production, transportation, and how they would be used.

The house stands green and proud in the community of Rocky Ridge in the far west of the city, where the EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration has constructed one single family home in a 25 building lot development. The initiative aims to have this community sharing amenities such as a greenhouse and a composting and recycling centre. The location of the house is a challenge though, as the community of Rocky Ridge is far from the LRT and is a long commute to downtown. Occupants of the houses would still be very car dependant.

Despite this, the house is a radical initiative towards sustainable living and acts as a prototype which other developments could exemplify.