Innovation
Changing Perspectives
The EchoHaven community has pushed the standard of community development in many ways. From maintaining natural features and drainage patterns to a precedent-setting agreement with the City of Calgary allowing free flow of water between developments. In addition, the storm water will be 100% stored onsite eliminating the need to be connected to the City storm water system.
The new approach to the community will:
- minimize site disturbance and ecological footprint
- provide solar friendly building orientation
- ensure low maintenance landscaping by preserving natural features
- reduce infrastructure dependency and costs
- reduce dependence on fossil fuels and long-term utility costs and enable self sufficiency
Reducing Consumption
- Power – reduce electricity use by about 50% from an average home
- Water – by using low flow fixtures and appliances, and collecting rainwater for toilets, clothes washing and outside uses we can reduce water use by about 50% from the typical Calgary home
Homes | Each home will incorporate design and construction to provide:
- superior building envelope with a high level of insulation
- superior windows
- minimum standard of EnerGuide 84
- rainwater collection
- low flow plumbing fixtures
- natural daylighting and passive solar strategies
- an HRV ensures positive ventilation for clean, fresh indoor air
- solar heating
- natural cooling and ventilation
- strategies that reduce waste of space and materials
- healthy, durable and recycled materials
EQuilibrium™
The EchoHaven Demonstration Home was one of 13 homes selected from a cross Canada competition sponsored by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The objectives of the EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing initiative were to balance our country’s housing requirements with the need to preserve and protect our natural environment.
The EchoHaven home highlights CMHC’s five principles of Healthy Housing™ and focuses on energy sustainability. This home is a net zero home meaning it produces at least as much energy as it consumes and has been designed to address occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency and renewable energy production, resource conservation, reduced environmental impact and affordability.
Sun Powered Pay Back
The EchoHaven Demonstration Home is powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels all year round. When the sun is shining the house produces surplus energy that is exported to the power grid. When the house is not producing energy it draws electricity from the grid.
Demonstration Home
The Echohaven Net Zero Demonstration Home was monitored for 1 year for energy consumption. The home has been occupied as a private house for the past five years and thus is not available for tours.