Ever wondered what makes a home net zero and how to get a house to that point?
A Net Zero Home is a property that produces the same amount of energy that it consumes over a full calendar year. While they remain on the grid, the homes give back as much energy as they take using on-site renewable energy systems.
While solar panels are becoming a more common feature of renewable home energy, getting a home to Net Zero requires a more comprehensive, performance-first approach that also includes:
If you’re not ready to invest in solar quite yet, but still want to have a high-performance, energy-efficient custom home, we’d be constructing what’s known as a Net Zero Ready home.
To achieve either Net Zero or Net Zero Ready performance in a home, there is always a necessary consideration in the design phase for energy modelling and integrations, including window selection and installation, insulation upgrades, air sealing and choice of mechanical systems. While many of these often go into our baseline builds, achieving a true Net Zero (/Ready) home is a comprehensive early-stage process, not a matter of adding integrations after the drawings or designs are complete.
As CHBA-certified Net Zero Trained Renovators, we’re also able to bring Net Zero and Net Zero Ready mindsets and strategies to renovations of existing homes. Our team works closely with energy advisors and designers to create a practical plan and path toward Net Zero Renovation outcomes, ensuring every step brings your home closer to present and future-ready performance, comfort, safety and flow.
Choosing to build or renovate a home that is to be Net Zero isn’t just about saving energy costs or future-proofing your property. It can majorly improve the quality of life of everyone who lives in the home.
Benefits homeowners often notice right away include:
Falcon Heights is proud to be the first builder in Canada to complete a home labelled Net Zero Energy under the CHBA’s official certification program.
Our Net Zero project, Synergy, was built on a challenging oceanfront lot on Vancouver Island, combining design excellence with year-round energy performance. Synergy proved that sustainable building doesn’t have to compromise household comfort, owner lifestyle or interior/exterior aesthetics.
See Synergy in action here.
Whether you’re planning a new home or transforming an existing one, our team brings the experience, training, and craftsmanship to help you move toward Net Zero on your timeline, and on your terms.
If you’re thinking about becoming Net Zero, or Net Zero Ready with your future custom home or renovation, let’s talk.
