Welcome to the Parkland Net-Zero House "Home" Page
Parkland Net-Zero to be part of the Eco-Solar Tour 2012April 29, 2012
On June 9th 2012, from 10:00 to 4:00, we will opening our home to all those who wish to learn more about net-zero energy homes and our project. We are now opening 2 hours earlier so that those that wish to see our home can still see the other homes on the thour, or vise versa. The Parkland Net-Zero will be part of the Edmonton Eco-Solar Tour 2012, an organization that coordinates open house events for the education of the public. More information can be found at http://www.ecosolar.ca During the tour the public is welcome to come and see: - Green building technologies - Progressive building engineering and design - 16 kW solar energy installation - Water and energy conservation systems - Eco-landscaping - Sustainable construction materials selection - Sustainable interior design, furnishing and decor As promised, we have posted all of the tour posters and graphs you will see on the tour for reference on the downloads page. I also created an FAQ page based on some of the most common questions we have been getting. Enjoy! I will be updating the site with information so come back and visit. Edmonton Journal Posts Colourful Feature to Promote Tour ... and Rouse the ActivistsMay 19, 2012
Thanks to Scott McKeen for making the grueling trip out to Parkland County to take in a tour of our home. We enjoyed hosting him as much as we enjoyed the article in the Journal May 18th, 2012. Edmonton Journal - My Homes Beautiful - May 18th Seems he "whacked the hornets nest" of some of the activists (see comments online). The comments are great as they very accurately portray many of the principle struggles Christy and I had building the home the way we did. In the end, I think that some of the comments don't really capture the true reason for the home. If you happen to be one of the those commenters, please read our story or feel free to roast us directly so you can get the full story. Parkland Net-Zero Monitors using Check-it.caApril 30, 2012
As the home nears it's first full year of occupancy we decided that it was time to see exactly where all of the electricity was beign used in our quest for net zero energy. In our search for a monitoring solution we were directed to Check-it Solutions. We wanted to use a Canadian company and be able to stream the data to the web for the all of the project team to review. This option has proven to be great for makign our children aware of how their habits affect our power bill. I have also been able to incentivise the kids to reduce their power comsumption - if they don't turn off their lights and phantom loads I take the energy costs out of their allowance (maybe a bit over the top, but man have I seen results!). The team at Check-it was great to work with and they were extremely patient with my install. I definately recommend the service to all others who wish to monitor their electricity loads. www.check-it.ca/site/index.php/solutions/residential. By demand, I have attached a sample screen so you can see how sweet the visual output is. 
|  Update [October 6] - We were pleasantly surprised when we received the good news that the home has been given an ENERGUIDE 93 rating. That is awesome ... (even though we are really EnerGuide 100)
Parkland Net-Zero Receives LEED Platinum!The Parkland Net-Zero House Project has obtained LEED Platinum certification ... only the second such home in Alberta!
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