17-05-2012, 01:43 PM
NSERC Solar Buildings Research Network
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Summary
The ÉcoTerra™ house, built by Alouette Homes, is a 2,600 square foot (240 m2)
prefabricated home that was assembled in September 2007 in Eastman, Quebec – about 120
kilometres south east of Montreal. The NSERC Solar Buildings Research Network, and in
particular a team headed by Dr. Andreas Athienitis at Concordia University, led the energy
system design of the house. The approach that was followed integrates the passive and active
solar systems into the house design and optimizes energy efficiency technologies. The house
includes an innovative building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) roof linked to a
hollow core thermal storage system that is based on research carried out at Concordia
University. The BIPV/T demonstration was funded by Natural Resources Canada’s
(NRCan) Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) program, championed by Josef
Ayoub of NRCan’s CanmetENERGY at the Varennes research centre. This is the first time
that a BIPV/T roof has been built as a system in a factory.
ÉcoTerra™, one of twelve CMHC Equilibrium™ Demonstration Projects, uses energy
collection and conservation features that are expected to enable it to consume less than 10%
of the energy of a standard house of the same size on an annual basis. The major features
include:
• Building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) system which covers one
continuous south-facing roof surface and simultaneously generates renewable
electricity and heat.
• Passive solar design featuring high-performance windows, thermal mass and a
highly-insulated and airtight building envelope.
• Ground-source heat pump system
• Waste-water and ventilation-air heat recovery systems
• Energy-efficient appliances
The house demonstrates full architectural and envelope integration of an advanced solar
energy system, as well as energy-saving measures, while maintaining occupants’ interior
comfort.
Figure 1: The Completed ÉcoTerra™ House
ÉcoTerra™ serves as an initial demonstration of solar building design concepts developed
by the SBRN and its partners aimed toward achieving the SBRN’s long term goal: The
development of the solar-optimized building as an integrated advanced technological system
that approaches net-zero energy consumption while being cost effective and comfortable.
Project Highlights
• The house is expected to be near net-zero energy, meaning that it produces nearly
as much energy as it uses on an annual basis.
• One of the 12 CMHC Equilibrium™ demonstration houses.
• The entire upper section of the south-facing roof features a building-integrated
photovoltaic-thermal system (BIPV/T).
o 2.8 kWp electricity generation
o 10 kWp of thermal energy.
• The solar-heated air from the BIPV/T system is used for space heating, domestic
hot water pre-heating and clothes drying.