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The Citizen, 2017-05-11, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017. PAGE 15. Advanced technology featured in new Lee home A model for the future Chris and Judy Lee plan to build a greener kind of home for their new house. The structure is called a passive house and is highly efficient and well insulated. (Submitted Image) Continued from page 14 today's building code. The remaining 10 per cent of heat can be provided by body heat, the sun, appliances, light bulbs and electronics. Currently, the number of passive house structures (the term "passive house is not restricted to houses, but can be used for commercial buildings, office buildings and apartment buildings, etc.) number in the tens of thousands around the world, the vast majority of which are in Europe. The standards for a passive house are laid out, chapter and verse, in the Passivhaus Planning Package, meaning that while many environmentally -efficient structures may use elements from the passive house concept, a structure must meet certain goals in order to be certified as a passive house. First, the building must be designed to have an annual heating ustin's Appliance & Sleep Centre 5.8 Cu. Ft. Top -Load Washer with VRT PIusTM Technology 7.5 Cu. Ft. Dryer with Sensor Dry and cooling demand of not more than 15 kilowatt-hours per square metre per year, or be designed with a peak heat load of 10 watts per square metre. Second, total primary energy consumption must not be more than 60 kilowatt-hours per square metre per year. And third, the building must not leak more air than 0.6 times the house volume per hour at 0.0073 pounds per square inch as tested by a blower door. When Lee first wanted to build a new house, he wanted it to be as energy-efficient as possible. He says that North Americans have a great environmental responsibility and he wanted to do his part. He began looking into environmental standards like R- 2000, the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which is a standard to which the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity in Blyth will be built. However, as he kept researching and trying to find more and more efficient ways to build a new house, he found the passive house concept and it just made perfect sense to him. Working with a passive house engineer in Guelph, the Lees have begun work on designing a passive house for their Walton property. They hope construction will begin later this year with the exterior to be SAMSUNG completed by the winter and the interior finished over the course of the winter. One of the critical factors of a passive house, Lee said, is to only build the house as big as it needs to be. The more space in the house, the harder it is to heat and to retain heat throughout its entire square -footage. For a retirement home, Lee said that he and Judy only need the basics, but soon wanted to expand the home slightly. They got to the point where they were going to be able to, by design, add a smaller second floor to the house and not lose any efficiency. The house is essentially flipped, he said, where they're adding a basement on the top of the house, but with windows and a view. While the exterior design of the house has changed drastically during the process, the interior has remained relatively consistent. This is the part of the process Lee says has been easy, because the construction process for a passive house isn't much different from that of a code house — most of the differences are materials. Scott Tousaw, Huron County's Director of Planning and Development, has completed a number of courses on the passive house concept on his own time over the years. The concept has been a passion of his for years. He says he's very excited to see the Lees build what he believes will be the first certified passive house in Huron County. And, like Lee, Tousaw has confidence that because passive houses focus more on being sealed tightly and insulated to a greater standard than most code houses, many Huron County builders will have no problem building houses to passive house standards with simply a little education. In fact, he said, many of the building code changes are already leaning towards passive house standards anyway. Many European countries already have passive house standards written into their building codes, he said. The project has not been without its doubters. Lee says it took a while to convince Judy that a passive house was the way to go and when he told his father, he said that house sounded great, but that he should leave enough room to build a furnace, because he'll need it. However, for Lee the need to build a passive house runs much deeper than saving money on the monthly hydro bill. Born in England, Lee became a Canadian citizen in 1967, Canada's centennial year, and since then he has become immensely proud to be a Canadian. However, he says that the North American share of energy and resources is so disproportionate that Continued on page 16 PAC KAG E PRICING AVAILABLE Orr PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE 1 PERFECT FOR THE COTTAGE! r 5.2 Cu. Ft. Washer with Steam Self Clean+ helps keep the washer fresh 7.5 Cu. Ft. Electric Front Load Dryer Self Clean+ helps keep the washer fresh Pedestals sold separately. 1 ONLY $999 eg. $1299 SEE INSTORE FOR MORE SAVINGS Samsung 18 Cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator Samsung 5.8 Cu. Ft. Slide in Electric Range Samsung Hybrid Tub Dishwasher F 17.6 Cu. Ft. 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