Is net zero renovation possible for every home?
Net zero is the ultimate goal for any home, but sometimes your existing building doesn’t quite fit all the requirements.
Not to worry ‒ Lagois Design·Build·Renovate can still make your home much more energy efficient and comfortable.
A net zero home provides the ultimate in comfort and health indoors. It produces as much clean energy as it consumes, with superb insulation, high-performance windows and airtightness, efficient heating and cooling systems, and advanced ventilation.
There are several reasons why some homes can become wonderfully efficient and comfortable but not actually net zero.
Lagois Lead Designer, Jeff Hurdis, says an example would be a home with a roof that might be beautiful ‒ but complicated, with dormers and odd angles and therefore not good contenders for rooftop solar panels.
“You can make your home way, way more energy efficient and comfortable,” he says. “It’s just not going to hit that “zero” mark if there are no solar panels.”
Homes with complicated roofs can still have solar panels, just not on the roof. Stand-alone panels have a big advantage in one sense: they’re more efficient than roof panels because they follow the angle of the sun. However, they require larger lot sizes and some might not like the look of them. They could also present bylaw challenges.
Another challenge to net zero renovation could be the orientation of your home if it doesn’t face South or Southwest. One more would be the number of trees and whether they shade your home.
How do you know if your home could be a good candidate for a net zero renovation?
- A net zero renovation is possible for your home if It has these aspects:
- It was built pre-1980: it already needs to be completely insulated and a proper air barrier installed.
- It has a simple roof shape, mostly flat for the placement of solar panels.
- It’s a square or rectangle.
- It faces south or southwest with no big obstructions such as tall buildings or trees, as is often the case in older city neighbourhoods.
- There is enough room to place insulation on the exterior of the home and new exterior finishes on top of that.
- It’s not designated as a Heritage home, where approvals to change its structure are likely not going to be allowed.
The Lagois Difference: Holistic renovation
Even if your end goal won’t be net zero, Lagois looks at it from a net zero standpoint of quality, comfort, energy efficiency and longevity and gets your home as close to net zero as possible.
This is because of the Lagois Difference, which means that your home is always renovated holistically, not just with net zero in mind but the future and the potential, if you ever want it, to live in place or allow a family member to live in place. Lagois installs the best materials and technology available with longevity in mind.
Net zero or close to it, “we always look at your home in the long term,” Jeff says.
