Did you know
Wondering if your home can be net-zero ready?
It can be! Take an average single-family home to net-zero ready with some simple, targeted retrofits. You could be an early adopter! Help lead the way to net-zero readiness.
What is
net-zero ready?
A net-zero ready home can generate as much energy as it uses, so the net amount of energy it purchases from the local hydro company is zero. It’s an idea that’s gaining popularity as people become more interested in having a home that is more comfortable and resilient, and also reduces costs to their pocketbooks as homeowners.
Features of a Net-Zero Ready Home
Every part of the house works together to provide consistent temperatures throughout, prevent drafts, and filter indoor air to reduce dust and allergens. The result: exceptional energy performance and the ultimate in comfort – a home at the forefront of sustainability. It all adds up to a better living experience.
Passive Heat
Home take advantage of warmth and light from the sun.
Air-Source Heat Pumps
They keep your home warm by extracting heat from the outside air and they cool things down in the summer by removing heat and transferring it outdors.
Ground-Source Heat Pumps
They use the thermal mass of the earth to extract heat and move it into your home or to take heat out of your house to cool it down
Solar Panels
Solar panels are used to produce renewable energy for lighting, heating and cooling systems, hot water and appliances.
Appliances
High-efficiency HVAC systems, appliances and other electrical systems help keep energy use down.
Old or new
Retrofit your existing home to net-zero ready
The net-zero ready concept isn’t limited to new builds. While it takes some planning and changes to conventional renovation approaches, it can be done. Following the same principles for net-zero ready new homes, renovations include improving existing insulation levels to exceed code standards, orienting windows to work with the sun, redesigning HVAC systems to be as efficient as possible, and installing the energy-generating technology that would work best for the building and its location.
What do we mean by Net-Zero READY?
Getting as close as we can
Sometimes it is too expensive or impractical for a homeowner to bring an existing home all the way net-zero, but relatively simple to drastically reduce energy consumption and ensure the bulk of energy consumed is low-carbon (usually electric). From a climate perspective, if a home’s energy consumption can be reduced by, say, 80%, and its carbon emissions by 90%, this is a huge win. The home is not strictly speaking net-zero, but it has become low-carbon and energy efficient, using methods that are simple and accessible to the owner.
To retrofit the bulk of our homes to low-carbon over the next decade and meet our climate targets, we need an approach that is simple, accessible and capable of dramatically reducing home emissions. Net-zero ready checks all the boxes. Hence the pilot.
Case Study
Explore our past projects
EnviroCentre
Net-Zero Ready Case Study
This case study assesses the energy, emissions and cost impacts of a series of energy-related upgrades that were installed at one of the row units at 110 Walnut Court in Ottawa in 2019.
Net Zero Coalition
Case Study Library
Access Net Zero Coalition’s library of various case studies that focus on net-zero energy.
Large Scale
Neighbourhood Pilot Projects
These examples will give you sense of some of things folks have tried to reduce home energy consumption on the neighborhood scale.
The Now House Project Inc.
Now House Mass Retrofits
International Energy Agency
Deep Energy Retrofits – Case Studies
Curious to learn more?
Get prepared to reach net-zero
We’ll be happy to help!
