An aggressive energy efficiency strategy helps EVBF to meet a significant portion of the building’s energy needs with its affordable renewable energy infrastructure.
1. Envelope efficiency and bio-climactic design
High quality fibreglass door and window frames, high r-value windows and insulation in the walls ensure that the buildings do not leak heat. In all the buildings air exchange and humidity are carefully regulated to maintain a pleasant atmosphere, so residents will not be inclined to open their windows in the winter. Air and heat circulation within the units has been modelled to ensure comfortable distribution at all points.
In air-tight buildings it is important to ensure adequate air circulation and exchange to maintain interior air quality. Chez Soi and Project Z.O.O. were thus designed through a bio-climactic approach that creates a warm and comfortable interior atmosphere, while achieving high building envelope efficiency standards. In the winter incoming air is preheated by a solar wall at Chez Soi, allowing for greater air exchange. Finally, building materials that emit toxic odours within the units were avoided or replaced with suitable alternatives.
2. Heating Optimisation and Heat Recovery
Concrete slab radiant floor heating is used in all of the newly constructed apartments at Chez Soi and Z.O.O. This delivers heat in an even and comfortable manner throughout the building, and avoids excess heat loss at hot spots around radiators. The concrete slab and construction acts as a thermal mass that resists exterior temperature swings, maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature without placing oscillating demands on the heating and ventilation systems.
Heat recovery ventilation units on the roofs of the building preheat incoming fresh air by capturing the heat in exhaust air. Powerpipe heat exchangers on the exiting greywater plumbing capture the heat from used shower and sink wastewater, and use it to preheat water entering the domestic hot water supply.
3. Education
EVBF believes that an energy efficient building is only as efficient as the habits of those who live within it allow and is therefore engaging the residents and the larger community in workshops to help households maximise the performance of their renewable energy and efficiency systems. As EVBF optimises the performance of its building systems, it is working with the residents to find ways to achieve higher energy efficiency through simple actions and responsible habits.
