NO-DEMO NET-ZERO READY RETROFIT

Ecosynergy founder and owner Amelie Caron used cutting-edge technology to make her 2010 home in Airdrie, Alberta, net-zero ready.

This retrofit had three phases and showcased how a home can move to net-zero ready without any demolition. Pre-Retrofit, the house used 143 GJ per year. Now it's almost net-zero, getting all its energy from renewables.

Phase 1

The first phase involved making the home airtight and free of leaks using a technology called AeroBarrier. AeroBarrier involves applying positive air pressure inside the house. This positive air pressure carries an atomized, non-toxic, water-based sealant throughout the home, sealing all leaks.

Phase 2

After the home was sealed, Amelie worked with Thermal Creek to install a geothermal exchange in her backyard. When the geothermal exchange done, Amelie and her family could completely disconnect from the natural gas system that most Albertans depend on. No Gas Bill, No Admin fees, No Maintenance and No secondary heating source!

Phase 3

Working with Skyfire Energy, Caron's home received a 10.5 KW solar array. The new array supplies the home's electrical needs without any need to upgrade the electrical entrance.

Learnings

This three-phase project is an excellent example of a mechanical-only retrofit demonstrating how innovation can help overcome the challenges of getting a home net-zero ready, including the following:

• Using AeroBarrier meant no gutting or demo inside the home was required while addressing the single most significant source of energy loss - a leaky building envelope.
• The approach did not require large, up-front capital costs and expensive renovations to get the building ready.
• There was no need to upgrade the main electrical entrance, keeping costs down.
• Installing geothermal and solar made the home net-zero and carbon-neutral.
• Using technology to make the house airtight instead of intensive and disruptive techniques - like gutting the interior, building out the studs and manually installing more insulation - reduces the risk of envelope failure.  
• Next to no waste ended up in a landfill, preserving the home's embodied carbon (the carbon emitted during the original construction of the building).

Amelie viewed this project as a proof-of-concept demonstration that other homeowners can replicate.

Note: Energy performance monitoring of this project is ongoing. Post-retrofit, the home used 21 GJ/year of energy. Final numbers will be based on a full year of utility usage.

Please take a look below for videos about each phase of the project.