|
 Why
An Eco-House?
What Is Durham Eco-House?
Where Is the Durham Eco-House
located?
What Makes Durham Eco-House So
Unique?
What Is Durham Eco-House Promoting?
What Are the Benefits of Durham
Eco-House?
What Will Be Showcased In Durham
Eco-House?
Will Anyone Be Living In The House?
How Will Durham Eco-House Help
The Environment?
How Will Durham Eco-House Become
Sustainable?
How Can You Contribute?
How will Durham Eco-House be
funded?
What's in it for you?
Why Should You Get Involved?
How can I get more information
about Durham Eco-House?
Why An Eco-House?
-
Despite the downturn in the economy, concerns
with 'clean, green and renewable' continue
to prevail
- Conservation
efforts for the most part, focus on new builds
- Little
emphasis on retrofitting our existing infrastructure,
particularly our existing housing stock
- Yet
- the majority of our energy conservation
initiatives will come from our existing build-out
- Durham
Eco-House capitalizes on this need by emphasizing
the opportunities that exist for the average
homeowner to 'make a difference'
What
Is Durham Eco-House?
Durham
Eco-House will be the Region of Durham's first
planned environmentally sustainable demonstration
home promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency,
the application of green building products and
technologies and the promotion of 'whole site'
sustainability.
We
believe that while reducing our carbon footprint
is a noble objective, the opportunity exists
to have a zero carbon footprint through retrofits
of our existing housing stock. To this end,
we are committed to bringing together government,
industry and community to demonstrate the scale
of environmental change that is possible through
retrofits to the existing housing stock.
There
are no initiatives that come close to reflecting
the focus or scale of our efforts in Durham
Region. Durham Eco-House is innovative, creative
and different - nothing like this exists in
Durham Region and while there are several examples
of eco-facilities, the Durham Eco-House advances
the ecological agenda by promoting 'whole site'
sustainability'.
Where
Is the Durham Eco-House located?
Durham
Eco-House is physically located at 575 Lake
Ridge Road South, in the Town of Whitby. The
existing property is strategically located along
the 401 and Lake Ridge Road in the heart of
Durham Region.
What
Makes Durham Eco-House So Unique?
Unlike
most eco-friendly projects that are new construction
based, Durham Eco-House will retrofit an existing
home to incorporate an array of energy conservation
and efficiency initiatives. It will serve as
an Energy Efficiency Showcase, profiling an
array of energy conservation and environmental
sustainability initiatives for the average homeowner
to consider. Continually profiling new and emergent
technologies, Durham Eco-House will align interested
homeowners with innovative, leading edge supplies
of new green building technologies. It will
promote Durham Region as an innovative leader
of green building by linking homeowners with
leading edge green building suppliers and innovators.
Ideally, Durham Eco-House will not be unique;
it will become the model for all houses in Durham
Region
What
Is Durham Eco-House Promoting?
Promoting
environmental stewardship and responsibility,
Durham Eco-House will profile the energy savings
and environmental values that can result from
retrofits to existing residential buildings.
- Creating
a networked collaborative of government, industry,
academia and community
- Demonstrating
the inherent economic benefits that accrue
from environmental investments
- Profiling
new and emerging technologies
- Emphasizing
whole site sustainability and a zero carbon
footprint through existing housing stock retrofitting
- Concentrating
on the transition towards sustainable energy
production and consumption
- Energy
conservation;
- Energy
efficiency;
- Application
of green building products and technologies;
and
- 'Whole
site' sustainability.
What
Are the Benefits of Durham Eco-House?
- There
is an opportunity to capitalize on the green
economy - the green boom is here
- There
is a need for consumers to understand what
green really means - that building green can
create social benefits and produce economic
returns
Expanding
the residential efficiency will create jobs
directly in performing retrofits, reduce energy
bills for consumers, and address global carbon
emissions.
The
positive effects of upgrading existing building
stock will benefit users, communities and the
environment. We want to make it easier for homeowners
to retrofit their homes - helping them save
money while reducing carbon emissions and creating
a healthier environment for our families.
What
Will Be Showcased In Durham Eco-House?
- Geothermal
heating and cooling system
- Solar
water heating, Solar PV electricity and Solar
space heating technologies
- Wind
turbine(s)
- Radiant
floor heating
- Energy-efficient
windows, doors and skylights
- Energy-efficient
lighting and appliances
- Low-maintenance
durable flooring
- Low-or
no-VOC paints
- Low-flow
toilet, showerhead and faucets
- Programmable
thermostat
- Upgraded
insulation and air sealing
- Whole-house
ventilation system
- Water
recovery and filtration system (cistern or
rain collection)
- Long-lasting
steel roofing
- Drought
tolerant native plants
- Use
of locally sustainable-produced materials
Will
Anyone Be Living In The House?
No.
It would be impractical for anyone to be living
in the house while it is open to the public.
How
Will Durham Eco-House Help The Environment?
- It
addresses a need and tackles a number of critical
environmental issues, not the least of which
is environmental sustainability, smart growth
and energy conservation;
-
It engages a diverse number of community members
and aligns government, industry and community;
-
Durham Eco-House advances the ecological agenda
by promoting 'whole site' sustainability'
-
It will, once completed, continue to have
sustainable impacts for the local community,
the Region and beyond.
How
Will Durham Eco-House Become Sustainable?
To achieve its mission of environmental sustainability
Durham Eco-House will:
- Provide
a home to involve the community in "green
retrofits" and installation of renewable
energy systems.
- Provide
a location for workshops, seminars, demonstrations
of how the average family home can be retrofitted
for sustainable design.
- Create
a relaxed neutral environment where visitors
can gain a greater impact by allowing them
to see, feel and interact in a live situation.
- Provide
a location for the community to "educate"
themselves by providing tours of the house
and monitoring its energy use.
- Create
a "home" and enhanced sense of identity
for members of the community who wish to be
involved in environmental programs and activities.
- Design
the retrofit that can support and adapt to
technological advancements well into the future.
- Expected
innovation in new and emerging technologies
to be generated by the green economy over
the next decade.
- Provide
homeowners with straightforward and reliable
home energy retrofit information, including
a reliable benchmark of energy efficiency
and sound estimates of the costs and benefits
of home energy retrofits.
As
evident from the scope and focus of the project,
the benefits of the Durham Eco-House are expected
to be far-reaching. It is our hope that this
initiative will spawn the adoption of eco-friendly
green building practices throughout Durham Region
and beyond. With the expected innovation to
be generated from the green economy over the
next decade the sustainability of the project
is clear.
How
Can You Contribute?
- Spreading
the word with your colleagues and contacts
- Engaging
your constituents
- Identifying
key players who should be involved
- Supporting
our efforts to secure funding
- Develop
a partnership
- Offering
direct financial support
How
will Durham Eco-House be funded?
- Durham
Eco-House will operate as a not-for-profit
corporation
- Durham
Eco-House will secure funding from Government
sources that promote energy efficiency and
energy conservation
- Durham
Eco-House will allow industry leaders to profile
proven technologies on an in-kind basis
- Durham
Eco-House will operate on the principles of
a networked collaborative, bringing government,
industry and community stakeholders together
for a common purpose
- Applications
and requests for funding support and in-kind
donations from government, industry and community
stakeholders will continue until the project
has reached its funding goals
What's
in it for you?
- An
opportunity to work with us to achieve something
unique, different and leading edge
- An
initiative that focuses on improving the environment,
builds locally sustainable economies; engages
the local communities in an initiative that
benefits government, industry and the community
- A
chance to generate green jobs
- An
opportunity to be seen as a driver of environmental
change
- A
chance to leave a sustainable legacy and change
the way we look at our environment
- A
chance to bring green technology to the average
consumer
Why
Should You Get Involved?
- An
opportunity to work with us to achieve something
unique, different and leading edge
- An
initiative that focuses on improving the environment,
builds locally sustainable economies; engages
the local communities in an initiative that
benefits government, industry and the community
- A
chance to generate green jobs
- An
opportunity to be seen as a driver of environmental
change
- A
chance to leave a sustainable legacy and change
the way we look at our environment
- A
chance to bring green technology to the average
consumer
How
can I get more information about Durham Eco-House?
Contact us at info@durhameco-house.ca
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