Brookfield Residential has built one of the greenest houses ever constructed in Alberta. The “Brookfield Residential Passiv Haus” will use 90% less energy than a typical new home constructed today. And this prairie house doesn’t come with a furnace!
The catchphrase commonly used to describe a Passive House (Passiv Haus) is ‘you can heat it with a hairdryer and cool it with an ice cube,'” says Doug Owens, Senior Director, Operations with Brookfield Residential’s Calgary Homes team and lead for the pilot project.
The house uses alternative materials and mechanical systems. It’s oriented on the lot to take full advantage of one of Alberta’s most abundant natural resources—the sun. Calgary sees the most sun of any Canadian city, so the home has a 10 kW grid-tied PV solar array.
The Symons Gate Passiv Haus is a living, working demonstration of sustainability and Brookfield Residential’s commitment to innovation. Located at 274 Sage Bluff Dr. NW Calgary, the “super-insulated” house is a sustainability showcase. Prior to selling it, Brookfield plans to operate it for a year with plenty of tours for green associations, schools, community groups, government and industry leaders to further the sustainability conversation.