DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF PATHWAYS TO NEW CONSTRUCTION NET-ZERO ENERGY HOUSES IN NOVA SCOTIA

Abstract

17% of Canadian secondary energy consumption is consumed by the residential sector. Efforts to reduce this energy consumption and the associated emissions include the replacement of traditional housing with net-zero energy house designs. This concept involves decreasing energy use as much as possible through high performance enclosures and high efficiency mechanical and electrical systems as well as offsetting these small loads with on-site renewable energy generation. An effort has been made to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of achieving NZEB status for a new construction, detached, single family residence in the province of Nova Scotia. This is achieved using a combination of energy modelling software to estimate energy needs for proposed home designs as well as estimating the prospective monetary costs of proposed home designs. These energy use and cost evaluations are compared to a “base case”, an approximation of a current typical new construction four-person home in Nova Scotia.