Welcome to Echo Haven: Calgary community living green and loving it
Being environmentally conscious without making major lifestyle changes and spending large sums of money seems unrealistic, but a small neighbourhood in northwest Calgary is proving that it's possible, and that anyone can do it.
The neighbourhood is called Echo Haven, and it's located in a cul-de-sac in Rocky Ridge. The houses in the community are either net zero, meaning they produce the same amount of energy as they use in a year, or EnerGuide 84, which is almost twice as energy efficient as a standard new home in the city.
Martin Pelletier, who moved into the community from Lakeview this past May, said he wanted a smaller home where his family would use all the space and be close to nature. For him, the energy efficiency is "the coolest part."
"We use a lot less [energy]," said Pelletier, whose former home, a 1959 two-storey, was costing him between $600 and $700 a month in winter for utilities. Since his move, his utility bill has been around $150 a month.
"I'm a firm believer in the environment, but it also has to make economic sense," said Pelletier.
Dave Spencer, one of the people who envisioned the community more than 20 years ago, said that his team set standards for how homes should be built years before Echo Haven began construction.
All houses face south, which allow them to capitalize on sunlight for solar heating. Rainwater is stored and reused, homes are heavily insulated to make them airtight, and no natural gas is used. The homes are small (at 2,200 square feet) and compact, allowing 60 per cent of the natural landscape to be preserved.
"What it makes for is a really comfortable, great house to live in," said Spencer.
The way energy is created, stored and used may be different, but besides the solar-panelled roofs a few small details in and around the houses, Echo Haven looks like a regular neighbourhood surrounded by nature.
"The cool thing about it is that it's just like any other house," said Pelletier. "The technology is implemented into the house without making it stand out."
The community is currently still under construction. Nine out of the 25 lots remain to be sold, and not all houses on lots that have been sold are finished the building process or are occupied.
Builders are also working on a community house called SolAbode, which was originally created by Alberta's Solar Decathlon Team for the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. in 2009. SolAbode will replace the need for a guestroom in residents' homes and will allow visitors a chance to experience living green.
The community also plans on opening a greenhouse next year, which will allow residents to grow their own vegetables year-round.
"It's just a matter of having a healthy lifestyle," said Pelletier. "What better place to start than having a home that encourages that type of living?"
For now, Echo Haven is the only community of its kind in the city, and although it's proving that energy efficient homes are realistic to build and live in, it doesn't seem like this type of neighbourhood will be reaching other parts of the city anytime soon.
"It's still a fairly new concept," said Spencer. "Right now, we're not looking past finishing this community."
