ÉcoTerra™

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Certifications & Awards
Project Team

Summary

The ÉcoTerra™ project uses renewable energy techniques and technologies to create a single family home that is energy-efficient to operate.

ÉcoTerra™ is a new, two-storey detached home in Eastman, Quebec, which is between Montreal and Sherbrooke. The 141 m2 (1,517 sq. ft.) home sits on a 1.1 ha (2.7 acre) forested rural lot. The objective of the builder-developer, Les industries Ste-Anne de la Rochelle Inc. Alouette Homes, was to design and build a grid-connected home that not only produces as much energy as it consumes in a year (a net-zero energy home), but also features a healthy indoor environment, low environmental impact, significant resource conservation, and affordability considerations.

Built using factory pre-engineered modular sections to optimize construction quality and reduce the environmental impact at the site, the home combines renewable-energy technology with energy-efficient construction techniques. The prefabrication approach, and other technologies used, have immediate applications, especially for the European export market under the Canadian Super E®.

The team predicts that the home will produce as much energy as it consumes on a yearly basis. The energy produced will come from renewable energy sources such as: active and passive solar space and water heating, a geothermal heat pump, and electricity producing photovoltaic panels. The household energy requirements of ÉcoTerra™ are predicted to be approximately 80 per cent less that the energy requirements of the average Canadian home. The homeowner will receive a credit for any surplus on-site electrical production fed into the electrical utility grid and, if required, electricity will be supplied by the grid to the house.

ÉcoTerra™ includes a living room, dining room, kitchen and 2-piece bathroom with laundry on the main floor, and two bedrooms, an office, and 4-piece bathroom on the second floor. The basement is un-finished.

Key Design Features:

  • Factory-built pre-engineered modular construction
  • Predicted net zero annual energy consumption
  • Reduced CO2 emissions
  • Sustainable use of materials through recycling and waste reduction
  • Off-site manufacturing to reduce environmental impact
  • House oriented to maximize solar exposure
  • Uniformity of air temperature and air quality throughout.

Project Website