From Emily Cheung, CBC News.
They're buildings so energy efficient they don't need a furnace, an air conditioner or any other kind of active climate control to keep their residents comfortable through Canada's sticky summers and icy winters.
"Passive houses" are buildings that rely on insulation, ventilation and heat from their occupants or sun falling on them to maintain the perfect temperature.
In Canada, up until now, they've mostly been single-family dwellings — green dream homes for those who can afford them. But now, builders using international passive-house design principles and standards are scaling up to big apartment buildings.
The pioneers on this new frontier aren't custom home builders for the rich and eco-conscious — they're non-profit organizations that build affordable housing. And they're promising more comfortable apartments with extremely low utility bills for some of Canada's most vulnerable residents.
The first multi-residential passive-house apartment building in Canada was completed just last year. Karen's Place in Ottawa is a four-storey building with 42 bachelor apartments. Also known as Salus Clementine, the modern-looking building has been fully occupied since February by people with severe mental illness, half of whom were previously homeless.
They pay $489 a month, including utilities, for apartments that are designed to use 66 per cent less energy than if the building were built to the standards of the 2012 Ontario Building Code.
The entire building costs about $30 a year to heat.
Link to the rest here.
Image. Salus Ottawa.
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