Aiming for net-zero energy ready affordable housing in Ottawa

Nepean Housing Corporation will complete a feasibility study to explore the costs and benefits of a range of energy-efficiency measures in a 31-unit addition to an existing affordable housing complex in the Nepean area of Ottawa. The current stock is undergoing an energy audit, and results from both this study and the audit will directly inform a bundled capital project application.

The SAH study funding will support Nepean Housing Corporation in completing an energy model, lifecycle assessment and analysis of potential on-site energy generation. The study will assess measures based on cost and embodied energy to investigate the ideal mix of building enclosure and system upgrades, such as a high-performance building envelope and heat recovery. The study will also explore the required energy generation and financial feasibility for bringing the complex to net-zero energy or net-zero energy ready status.

To ensure the housing complex is sustainable and affordable, the lead applicant will use the Passive House standard as a basis for establishing performance targets for key building systems, with the addition of net‐zero carbon ready provisions and the potential for renewable energy generation at the time of construction.

Finally, the project includes plans for achieving a variety of social milestones, including improved air quality, health and occupant comfort with ventilation and filtration upgrades, draft reduction, temperature and humidity variation, soundproofing, and reduced odour transfer between units.

Innovative aspect:

This is the first study application received under SAH that will review lifecycle assessment, affordability, and embodied energy analysis of Passive House measures. The result could be an effective knowledge-sharing tool for the sector.

Replicability:

An environmental policy developed from study results will include environmental policies, procedures, priorities and guidelines for Nepean Housing Corporation. A member of the study team will ensure the implementation of this environmental policy organization-wide, and will organize training with groups of tenants, staff and community-members.

This application references a wide range of measuring tools and on-going monitoring based on learnings from previous projects in this climate zone. Procedures will be in place to ensure the modelled results are achieved in the constructed building. The study also anticipates an evaluation strategy from the perspective of occupant comfort, health and satisfaction. These measurement and monitoring features will be very useful for other suburban housing providers around Ottawa and across the country interested in similar projects.

Affordability:

The study will focus on the following aspects of sustained affordability for tenants:

• Reduced operational costs through the implementation of energy-efficiency measures
• Improved financial viability as the organization reaches the end of its current operating agreement
• Standardized Passive House criteria to further ensure project success and subsequent affordability