Net Zero in North Bay

Published on November 19, 2018

John Halliday, a man born and raised in North Bay, has followed through on his goal of building an energy efficient home, after construction finished on his Net Zero home on Mclaren Street in North Bay. He claims that he has built the first Net Zero home in Northern Ontario.

After leaving North Bay to work in the engineering field in Ottawa, Halliday decided he should complete his goal of building an energy efficient home, back in his hometown.

“It is kind of like a bucket list thing, I always wanted to build a house, I am an engineer,” he said.

His net zero home was modelled by a Registered Energy Advisor, and uses multiple methods for improving energy conservation and efficiency, including: solar panels on the roof for an alternative energy source, triple glazed windows for insulation, a drain water heat recovery system, a heat pump water heater, GNI spray foam insulation and a more efficient cold-weather HVAC system.

By using these measures for improving the home’s efficiency and by sourcing enough energy through alternative means, the home can be labelled as a Net Zero Home. This means that it is able to generate the same amount of energy that it uses.

Halliday holds the belief that Net Zero homes will become more common in the future, and that what he has done in his home to improve energy efficiency will become part of the building code within the next 15 to 20 years.

“What I like about it is essentially it is almost like zero maintenance over the life of the house,” Halliday said.

He also added that a Net Zero home reduces the homeowner’s carbon footprint.

Reducing Carbon Emissions in Ontario

All homeowners in Ontario are able to lower their own carbon footprint, just by improving the efficiency of their own home. By doing so, the home can not only become more environmentally friendly and lower its utility bills, it can also improve how comfortable the home is and how clean the air is inside the building.

By having our Registered Energy Advisors come into your home and conduct a Home Energy Assessment, you can gain a clear look at the energy efficiency levels of your home, and what areas could be improved to see a gain in efficiency. Included in the assessment is a tailored list of suggestions for improving efficiency that are hand picked by our advisors and organized based on cost-effectiveness.

This means that you can have all of your energy saving options laid out and explained to you, allowing you to make the choice that is the best fit for your needs. Seeing a return on your investment is also made easier through the home renovation rebates that are currently available from Enbridge and Union Gas - a process which our advisors are happy to assist you with and help you qualify for.