The Building Science Trust Inc.
Experience, skill and integrity for your building, and energy projects.
Net Zero Retrofit Planning Process
Step 1 - Contract
The process begins after a contract has been signed. For single unit residential houses the total fee (including the NRCan energy audit) is about $550.00 CAN (after the Greener Homes Grant) for a Net Zero Retrofit (NZR) plan (the final cost is dependent on the NRCan Service Organization chosen by the home owner) . For other buildings an estimate will be provided. This service is available in Canada.
Step 2 - Site Visit
An NRCan certified energy advisor visits the site building to gather the site component information such as building component size, age & issues (eg. worn out air handling unit, furnace, boiler, lighting, windows).
Step 3 - Energy Analysis
The building's energy usage is modeled to determine the original annual base load. A report that identifies the load mixture by component and fuel is developed and provided.
Step 4 - Lifecycle Analysis
Ages of components are established or estimated and their remaining life is estimated. This step determines the likely date of their replacement which is critical in minimizing replacement costs.
Step 5 - Develop ECMs
Energy Conservation Measures (replacement components) are proposed and analyzed to determine if they can be economically added to the building to reduce energy requirements (eg. a heat pump may be proposed to replace a central air conditioner). These results are summarized in the Upgrade Report.
Step 6 - Reporting
A plan is developed to show how to move your building to Net Zero. This Net Zero Retrofit (NZR) plan identifies the costs for the replacement components, their proposed date of replacement, annual and lifetime savings, payback and the estimated reduced Green House Gas (GHG) production associated with each ECM and site renewable energy generation. See reports below;
Step 7 - Implementation Project Management
In Ottawa local experienced general contractors can be referred for project implementation of various upgrades (heat pumps, solar panels) for owners that manage their own purchases or for a fee BST can project manage upgrades like switching a natural gas furnace to a heat pump with offsetting solar panels, electrical panel upgrades and net metering arrangements with the local utility.
Note that our service provides the NZR analysis and planning. Consequently decisions are independent of manufacturer or contractor bias. You receive the best advice independent of other influences.
Note - Net Zero also means you have to most likely use renewable fuels (typically solar). This is also a fuel transition plan.
<---- Example House
This example house is located in Ottawa Ontario - pertinent data from the analysis is shown below. This house is currently heated with natural gas.