Build an energy efficient new home

If you're building a new home and want to make it as energy efficient as possible, you might want to consider Natural Resource Canada's (NRCan) ecoENERGY for Buildings and Houses program.

The NRCan's Office of Energy Efficiency has created the EnerGuide rating service to give expert independent advice on energy-efficient home construction and to provide an energy rating system that reflects a home's energy performance.

Green washing abounds in the construction industry and it's all too common hear claims of energy efficiency without the proof.

The EnerGuide rating system provides this proof by using a standardized rating system that generates a number, backed by the Government of Canada, that can be openly compared between homes.

The rating system is based on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 representing a home with no insulation, enormous air leakage and over-the-top energy consumption -- picture a derelict barn with a low-efficiency furnace running at max -- and 100 representing a home that is very well insulated, is airtight while being well ventilated and is completely off-grid, requiring no purchased energy whatsoever.

A new home built to current building code standards will typically fall in an EnerGuide rating range of 65 to 72. A new home with some modest energy-efficiency improvements will fall in the range of 73 to 79.

A new energy-efficient home with significant energy-efficient upgrades will rank somewhere between 80 and 89 while a super energy-efficient home, one that requires little or no purchased energy, will rate between 90 and 100.

Many municipalities today recognize the EnerGuide rating system and grant bonuses for new home construction with an EG value of 80 or more.

The District of North Vancouver, for example, offers a density bonus from two to 10 per cent with EG ratings of 80 or more.

Taking part in the Energuide program requires the prospective homebuilder to acquire the services of a certified EnerGuide adviser who will evaluate their construction documents to develop an energy-efficiency upgrade strategy before the building starts.

The adviser will use computer software to model different options, focusing on the heating and ventilation equipment of the home and its building envelope, to create the most cost-effective solutions for optimal energy efficiency.

After construction, the Energuide adviser returns and verifies the energy efficient upgrades and performs a blower door test. The homeowner is then provided with an evaluation report and an official EnerGuide rating.

Simply put, an energy-efficient home uses less energy and is less expensive to operate. By creating one, we choose to invest in the proven value of an energy-efficient home while helping to protect the environment as well.

Stairway can create excitement

Locating a stair is likely the single most important planning decision the designer makes when laying out a home.

The stair can become one of the most dynamic and interesting elements of a layout, presenting an exciting sculptural form that efficiently moves occupants from one level to the next, or it can wreak havoc with a plan, disrupting every space it adjoins while generating awkward circulation patterns throughout the home. It all depends on how it's located.

Photograph by: Paul McGrath, NEWS photo

As a general rule, the stair should be relatively centralized in its location and should be easily accessible by its occupants. It can slide neatly up the side of a corridor, sweep formally out of a central hall or be a feature element of a home, but in all circumstances needs to simplify circulation rather than confuse it.

Vertical movement through space is an inherently dynamic circulation experience and demonstrates the power of the stair to create drama. Spatial relationships created by height differences can suggest feelings of authority or distance while the physical shape of the stair can create a sense of excitement. Architects and designers understand this and design the stair as a staging area for dramatic experience rather than solely as a means of getting from one floor to another.

But the getting from the one floor to other is the raison d'être of a stair and there are a few basic principles one needs to understand when designing one. It may seem obvious but a staircase occupies a volume that's more than one storey in height. One of the most common mistakes made by first-year architectural students is to design a stair that at some point runs itself into the floor above. Laying one out is not as easy as it seems. When thinking about the relationship of the step height to its depth (the riser height to tread depth), use this formula: riser + tread = 17.5 inches. There are building code limitations at the extremes of height and depth, but this rule of thumb can be very helpful.

Here are a few design tips that can make for a more appealing and dramatic stair:

• Let an open stair run down the side of a room. Removing the dividing wall between stair and room creates a dynamic within the room and helps make the room feel larger too.
• Place a skylight above a stair. A staircase is a vertical shaft that runs through your home. The light that washes over it will carry right through the house as well.
• Create a window seat on a stair landing. A landing forms a natural stopping point and lends itself as the perfect "getaway" spot.
• Use the walls that abut the ends of the stair as feature walls for artwork and sculpture.
• Place the stair near the entry, where the added height created by the stair volume will enhance the feeling of grandeur.

With a little forethought and design, the simple circulation device that allows us to move from one level to the next can become one of the most dramatic and appealing elements of our home.