Why Energy Self-sufficiency is key for a Sustainable Future!
In the article "Heat Pumps for Peace and Freedom" the author outlines an efficiency strategy to drastically reduce Europe's dependency on fossil fuels. With the threat of WW111 in the making, we all need to ramp up efforts to reduce dependence on oil. This will help to mitigate the effects of climate change and significantly reduce the war coffers of aggressors like Russia.
How to become more Energy Self-sufficient.
If you believe that reducing fossil fuel dependence will help with the war and climate climate change, there are simple solutions like walking or biking as opposed to driving that will help. Turning the thermostat down at night makes a considerable difference. Getting an electric vehicle or driving a smaller more efficient vehicle are all initiatives we can take to reduce oil dependence and emissions. For a bigger impact, consider retrofitting your home with more insulation and tightening up the air leakage to drastically reduce energy loads. Adding PV solar panels to produce your own energy is also an investment that provides an increasingly positive return, especially with rising energy costs.
Building a NetZero energy home like we are doing is becoming more common place. People are also moving towards NetZero transportation which involves purchasing an electric vehicle that can be charged with renewable energy. Our new infill property home at 1417 10th Ave North is double wall construction, triple glazed windows with a high velocity heat pump system. The heat pump allows for a reduction in energy enabling us to hopefully achieve NetZero energy with a 7.5 Kw Pv system. We will also add an additional 2 Kw PV system on the garage to provide the energy for the electric vehicle that is on order.
For anyone interested in buying a NetZero home we have a "NetZero Ready" infill home that is at the framing stage at 1050 Prince of Wales in North Park, Saskatoon. The "NetZero Ready" means that it was built to minimise energy consumption so that the addition of a 10 Kw PV system at a cost of $20k will produce as much energy as the home needs on an annual basis.
We are also currently designing a NetZero Modern Farmhouse spec build with a 10 Kw Pv system for 1052 King Cresent in City Park. EcoSmart will be testing the NetZero Spec Build market to determine if people are ready to take the leap forward to create a more sustainable economy. These solutions will be priced to compete in the residential market with no premium other than the $20,000 it takes to buy the PV panels. This seems like a small price to pay to help protect the planet.
The world is facing serious climate change and energy transition challenges that are affecting global peace. Rather than wait for this to become worse, let's be proactive to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
If you want to see if a NetZero build is for you, please send me an email and we will arrange a tour, once the weather warms up a bit. mguy@eco-smart.ca
Building for the Future
