Any time we blog about retrofits, we’re flooded with questions. We’ve gone into more depth on cost and key issues here.
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Retrofit or Rebuild in a Net Zero World?
It’s a very real question in 2023: for owners of older, inefficient homes, is retrofitting or rebuilding best?
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Yes, a passive home can have high ceilings!
We’ve been asked how the most energy efficient of homes can make use of high ceilings – find out here.
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Understanding passive house windows & doors
We’ve been asked why we dedicate a lot of wall space to windows and doors in a passive home – find out here!
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ERV Post Follow Up
Earlier this spring we posted an article on Pre-certified Passive Components: ERV or energy recovery ventilators. The “fresh air machine” of passive homes, including those built by EkoBuilt, ERVs are a vital component and worthy of close inspection. The unit we recommend is the Jablotron Futura Passive ERV and it’s pre-certified by the IPHA.
We fielded a couple of great questions following that post and want to answer them here:
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Canada Greener Homes Grant
The federal government recently launched its Canada Greener Homes Grant. In brief, the grant provides various incentive options for existing homes to upgrade their energy efficiency, however no grants are available for new homes, even though housing starts in many parts of the country continue to grow (in our own local area, new builds are huge in a hot real estate market). In this article, we ask why the government won’t also support homeowners in building highly energy efficient homes right out of the gate.
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Prefab house vs. passive house kit
One question we often field is whether our passive house kit is the same as a prefab house. It’s not. It’s something much better, in our view, and here’s why:
Unlike a prefabricated house, which comes straight from the factory ready for final assembly on your property or site, our material kits provide quality materials installed in the correct steps and the option to be as involved as you like in the build. These are quite significant differences.
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New website, expanded offerings
We are very excited to share our newly revamped website. It’s not just a new look — at its core, the site now showcases houseplans in four size ranges and updated pricing for all of our energy efficient house plan material kits.
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EkoBuilt Project: Pakenham Coach House
We’re so pleased to share one of the first coach homes by EkoBuilt, this one in the village of Pakenham west of Ottawa.
This great little project was designed as a seasonal cottage or chalet for today, with plans for it to become the owner’s retirement residence within five to ten years.
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EkoBuilt Project: Passive Home in Rural West Ottawa
This new EkoBuilt passive home is located in rural west Ottawa. A bungalow, its design is slab on grade and it encompasses 1365 ft.² of living space including two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was finished in time for the 2018-2019 winter season.
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