A second certified passive house in Quebec
La première certified new construction in the province
The passive house located on the edge of the small village of Abercorn in the Eastern Townships, is already LEED Platinum and has just obtained certification from thePassive House Institute US(PHIUS).
A simple envelope. Ideal for a comfortable family life with four bedrooms on a total of 1980 square feet.
-
Designed in a simple, intelligent way and according to ultra-rigorous standards using adapted modeling software.
-
Made in such a way as to integrate everyone, from the architect to the carpenter, in all stages of the process.
-
Regularly inspected by an independent third party.
-
Built to take advantage of energy sources such as the sun and geothermal energy.
-
Super insulated and ultra airtight, it got the best performance rating(0.1ACH50).
-
Equipped with an efficient air exchanger that recovers heat.
-
Built with more resistant and more efficient materials.
-
And above all more durable!
-
It costs 702$ per yearin all, and that's 90% less than a new house built to building code.
-
It always remains comfortable despite the extreme temperature differences in Quebec.
-
And she's not badpretty as well!
Building an ecological house and especially a passive house still represents a challenge, among other things because of the climatic context of Quebec, a certain lack of resources and local expertise and perhaps quite simply because we "do not the same". The house will have cost us in all and everywhere about 15% more than a normal construction (including the price of certification, inspections and modelling).
What must be remembered here, and we often forget to mention, is the fact that a house built according to the ultra rigorous criteria of QUALITY, DURABILITY and EFFICIENCY required by PHIUS+ and LEED Platinum not only allows save substantially on energy costs, almost completely eliminate surprises and construction defects, reduce maintenance and repair costs, but also reduce the impact of the construction site on the environment, improve the quality air, quality of life and above all to reduce the environmental footprint of the daily life of its inhabitants in a way that is not quantifiable in terms of $$.
Building a PHIUS+ and LEED Platinum certified home is above all setting the bar a little higher when it comes to the quality of construction in Quebec. La Maison Des Sources, like other green building initiatives in Quebec, and for example, the very first PHI (Passive House) certified house in Quebec,the Ozalea house, all contribute to changing mentalities, to educating people and, eventually, to moving ecological constructions from the margins to the norm in Quebec. And above all, to finally make them more AFFORDABLE and ACCESSIBLE for everyone.