Harmony House EQuilibrium™️ Project
The Harmony House Team has been honoured with a Prestigious Environmental Award from the Burnaby City Council – this one for their extraordinary Net-Zero Energy Building. This is not the first award that this team has won; as the home is in fact a winning entry in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Equilibrium™️ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative.
Since 1996, the City of Burnaby presents Environment Awards to “recognize and celebrate organizations and individuals who contribute their time and effort toward the protection and enhancement of a sustainable environment.”
Of the five Environment Awards and eight Environmental Star recipients for 2012: The Project Team behind the Harmony House received the city of Burnaby’s Prestigious Environmental Award for the Planning and Development of their Net-Zero Energy Building located in Burnaby, BC.
This is not the first award that this team has won; as the home is in fact a winning entry in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s EQuilibrium Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative. The team comprised the Architect: Chris Mattock, the Builder: Arthur Lo, the Interior Designer – Tracy Douglas of TEVA DESIGN, and the homeowners – Linda and Les Moncrieff.
According to the architect, Chris Mattock of Habitat Design + Consulting, the uniqueness of the Harmony House lies in the fact that in addition to being a Highly Energy Efficient Building, the materials that are incorporated in the construction and design of the house are Very Durable and Environmentally-Friendly. Chris Mattock even claims that this may even be the first Zero-Carbon Building in British Columbia, as the house is not heated with natural gas, and even the automobile is powered by electricity generated from solar panels on the roof of the house.
This Harmony House considers seven major areas in its efforts to receive the title of being a net-zero home:
- Building envelope
- Insulation level
- Lighting and power
- Heating and cooling
- Building materials
- Building orientation
- Landscaping
and the owner of Insightful Healthy Homes, and builder of the Harmony House, Arthur Lo, stated that the house saves energy by being very highly insulated, and the house actually “makes energy” from the solar panels on the roof. The energy is not stored on site, but rather is sold to BC Hydro through a connection to the grid enabled by a new smart meter. Arthur explains; “without the smart meter we would have to store energy onsite which would be problematic and cost prohibitive; so it is a key component to the energy efficiency of the home”.
In winter months or in the evening the house will be able to buy energy from BC Hydro and in the Summer and Daytime hours will do the reverse, selling energy back to the grid, essentially netting out at zero on an annual basis.
The proud owners of the Harmony House Les & Linda Moncrieff said one of their most favourite aspects of their new home is the peaceful space they have created. This they credit in part to the the triple-glazed Cascadia Windows, the high insulation values in the walls, and less exposure to the street frontage due to the layout of the buildings design. Linda says: “it is a very comfortable house and I love the open layout.”
The interior designer of the Harmony House, Tracy Douglas of Teva Design also felt that one of the best qualities of the house is its quietness: “From inside the house, you hear no noise from outside”, which makes the house a “serene” space. She also mentioned that with an open layout, the views to the outdoors, the lighting design and other design elements of the home take on a rather important role in setting the tone for the space.
So while the total cost of a net-zero home may be a bit pricier than a normal home, the combination of being able to sell energy back to the grid, dramatically reduced energy use, a vehicle powered by solar energy, and all the added comforts of a superior styled and performing building, certainly have Les and Linda’s vote for being well worth it.
For more information on the Harmony House…
Link to Original Story: Sustainability Television Blog Post
Original Article Publish Date: June 10, 2012
Link to Original Story: Sustainability Television Blog Post
Original Article Publish Date: June 10, 2012
