Palliser Net-Zero Ready

This retrofit reduced energy by 70% with upgraded windows, enhanced insulation and electrified mechanical.

Building Type	Single-Family Split-Level	Location	Calgary, AB
Year Built	1970	Foundation Type	Concrete (Crawl Space)
Structure Type	Wood-Framed	Post-Retrofit Total Floor Area	249m²
Climate Zone	7a	Heating Degree Days	5000
Retrofit Status	Complete	Year Completed	2022
Retrofit Phasing	Yes	Geometry Changed	No
Annual Energy Savings	70.95%	Operational Carbon Savings	4.19 tCO2eq/yt
Retrofit Type	Envelope and Mechanical	Performance Level	Net-Zero Ready

Project Team

Solar Homes Inc. ( Builder )
Map Energy Inc. ( Energy Advisor )

Project Priorities

Reduce Energy Consumption
Achieve Net Zero or Net Zero Ready
Increase Thermal Comfort
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Reduce GHG Emissions
Repair and/or Renew Exterior
Improve Home Value

Upgrades

New European style triple pane windows
EV and Solar ready electrical panel
6″ Rockwool insulation added to exterior walls
Hardie Board siding
Spray foam insulation in attic + blown cellulose top up to R-51
2.5 ton Daikin heat pump
50 Gallon AO Smith heat pump water heater
Air Sealing 3.66 ACH @ 50Pa to 2.06 ACH @ 50Pa
R-20 XPS added to foundation wall exterior
ERV

Project Description

Planning the Retrofit

Solar Home Inc. designed the retrofit to create a net-zero ready envelope that would improve comfort and efficiency, modernize the building’s appearance, and increase property value. Since the homeowners remained in the home during construction, the crew prioritized an exterior-first approach to minimize disruption.

They used a Hydrovac to expose the foundation wall, allowing for the installation of two layers of 2" XPS foam board to the exterior foundation wall, increasing the overall thermal resistance to R-30.

Due to limited attic space, the team applied spray foam insulation to boost the assembly’s thermal resistance and reduce air leakage. They sealed the attic and brought the insulation level up to R-51.

A 2×6 frame increased the above-grade walls to R-30, and older windows were replaced with durable European style windows to future-proof the home.

After the envelope was complete, the final step was designing mechanical systems accordingly to avoid oversizing and short cycling.

Before & After

General
	Before	After
Building Condition	Before Original – Minor Performance Upgrades	After Major Performance Upgrade

Envelope
	Before	After
Ceiling/Attic Assembly	Before Asphalt roofing material, 3/8″ OSB plywood, 2×4 trusses 24″ on center, R-24 blown-in insulation, 6 mil polyethylene vapour barrier, 3/8″ plywood decking, 1/2″ drywall interior finish.	After Original insulation removed and closed cell spray foam insulation added to attic floor with blown in fiberglass insulation on top (totaling R-51 nominal)
Ceiling/Attic Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance	Before R-23	After R-44
Foundation Wall Assembly	Before 8″ concrete wall, 3/4″ airgap, 2×4 framing 16″ on center, R-12 fiberglass batt insulation, 6 mil polyethylene vapour barrier, 1/2″ drywall interior finish.	After 4″ XPS board (R-20) added to exterior down to the footing.
Foundation Wall Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance	Before R-10	After R-30
Wall Assembly	Before Steel siding, 3/8″ OSB sheathing, 2×4 framing 16″ on center, R-12 fiberglass batts, 6 mil polyethylene vapour barrier, 1/2″ drywall interior finish	After Hardie board siding, 6″ Roxul rock wool batts, 20 mil SIGA Majvest® 200 Facade Membrane, installed over existing assembly.
Wall Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance	Before R-12	After R-30
Windows and Doors	Before Most windows replaced in the late 90’s early 2000’s, dual pane, Low-E (~R-2.5). A few original windows remained.	After New Innotech European style, triple pane, Low-E windows (~R-6) . One dual pane Low-E and one original window remains.
Air Tightness	Before 3 ACH50	After 2.06 ACH50
Air Sealing	Before Typical for age of home.	After Combination of High performance tapes & membranes & house wrap. Spray foam insulation on ceiling decking, spray foam insulation on window frames. Additional framing and siding improvements.

Mechanical & Electrical
	Before	After
Heating	Before Natural gas furnace (Induced draft with pilot, 80% AFUE), Co-Vented with DHW.	After 2-ton Daikin heat pump (9.1 HSPF), backup resistive electric coil.
Cooling	Before None	After 2-ton Daikin heat pump
Hot Water	Before Natural Gas Storage Tank With Pilot Light (151L, 0.55 EF)	After AO Smith heat pump water heater (189L, 0.90 EF)
Ventilation	Before Naturally aspirated, no whole home system.	After Entropy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), 77% Efficiency.
Renewables	Before None	After Net Zero ready, Smart Electrical Panel 100A (EV Ready, Solar Ready)
Electrical Service	Before 100 Amps	After 100 Amps
Mechanical Other	Before No Data	After New 100 amp Genius smart panel installed

Annual Energy Usage
	Before	After
Total Annual Consumption	Before 148 GJ	After 43 GJ
Total Net Consumption	Before 148 GJ	After 43 GJ
Energy Use Intensity	Before 165.1 kWh/m2/a	After 47.97 kWh/m2/a
Annual Heating Demand Intensity	Before 107.32 kWh/m2/a	After 13.91 kWh/m2/a
Annual Cooling Demand Intensity	Before 0 kWh/m2/a	After 0 kWh/m2/a
Annual Electricity Consumption	Before 7512 kWh	After 12005 kWh
Annual Natural Gas Consumption	Before 121 GJ	After 0 GJ
Light and Appliance Energy Consumption	Before 11.84 GJ	After 11.61 GJ
Other Electrical Consumption	Before 13.32 GJ	After 13.76 GJ
Space Cooling	Before 0 GJ	After 0 GJ
Space Heating	Before 96.2 GJ	After 12.47 GJ
Ventilation	Before 0 GJ	After 0.86 GJ
Water Heating	Before 26.64 GJ	After 4.3 GJ

Carbon Emissions*
	Before	After
Annual Operational Carbon Emissions – Electricity	Before 3675 KgCO2e	After 5852.78 KgCO2e
Annual Operational Carbon Emissions – Natural Gas	Before 6364.66 KgCO2e	After 0 KgCO2e
*Based on emissions values from Canada’s Official Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2022 Emissions Values

Palliser Net-Zero Ready

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Project Team

Project Priorities

Upgrades

Project Description

Planning the Retrofit

Before & After

General

Building Condition

Before

After

Envelope

Ceiling/Attic Assembly

Before

After

Ceiling/Attic Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance

Before

After

Foundation Wall Assembly

Before

After

Foundation Wall Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance

Before

After

Wall Assembly

Before

After

Wall Assembly Effective Thermal Resistance

Before

After

Windows and Doors

Before

After

Air Tightness

Before

After

Air Sealing

Before

After

Mechanical & Electrical

Heating

Before

After

Cooling

Before

After

Hot Water

Before

After

Ventilation

Before

After

Renewables

Before

After

Electrical Service

Before

After

Mechanical Other

Before

After

Annual Energy Usage

Total Annual Consumption

Before

After

Total Net Consumption

Before

After

Energy Use Intensity

Before

After

Annual Heating Demand Intensity

Before

After

Annual Cooling Demand Intensity

Before

After

Annual Electricity Consumption

Before