Modern, spacious, remarkably quiet: three things you notice immediately upon entering an Urbandale Net Zero Ready home.
Then you start noticing a lot more. How the generous windows flood the home with daylight. How the layout flows naturally. How attention to detail underlies everything from the meticulous kitchen design to the extra-wide staircases and the spa-like ensuite.
Urbandale Net Zero Ready homeowners are also noticing how much they’re saving thanks to energy-efficient construction, cold-climate heat pump-based heating and cooling systems, and rooftop solar panels. These and other features put their homes in a future-focused class of their own.
Long a leader in energy-efficient design and construction, Urbandale Construction is offering its Net Zero Ready singles in Riverside South, Kanata Lakes, Bradley Commons in Stittsville and The Creek in Kemptville.
A Net Zero home produces as much energy as it consumes, usually through features like solar panels. A Net Zero Ready home has been built to the same standards as a Net Zero home, including the ability to integrate solar panels but panels are not included at the time of occupancy.
Unless, of course, it’s an Urbandale Net Zero Ready home, in which case homebuyers receive a low-profile solar package capable of generating five kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity from day one. More solar panels can be installed at a later date to meet a household’s full electrical needs, which is generally between eight and 10 kW.
Urbandale’s package of electricity-generating solar panels alone will save homeowners an estimated $750 at today’s cost of electricity, savings that will only increase as energy prices grow in the years ahead.
Style and substance
Urbandale’s homes feature smart, functional layouts and timeless appeal, including elegant entrances, bright kitchens with ample storage, spacious great rooms and dining areas and comfy bedrooms. Some homes also offer a main-floor den and separate dining room, walk-in closets in every bedroom and optional basement bedrooms.
These Net Zero Ready homes are all deeply insulated with an air-tight building envelope to ensure consistent indoor temperatures no matter what’s happening outside.
A cold-climate, air-source heat pump heats and cools the home, while a hybrid heat pump water heater further reduces energy bills and the home’s carbon footprint. The energy recovery ventilation system (ERV) acts as the “lungs of the home,” drawing in fresh outside air, warming it in the winter and cooling it in the summer for superior air quality year-round.
The ENERGY STAR-certified windows are triple-paned, filled with argon gas and feature a reflective low-E 366 coating to help keep heat inside in the cold season and outside in the warm months.
“You’re really getting the windows to do a lot of the heavy lifting for energy efficiency and comfort,” says Stephen Magneron of Homesol Building Solutions, which works with Urbandale on energy-efficient design and assessment.
These and other features mean Urbandale Net Zero Ready singles are comfort pacesetters and true energy misers.
“Urbandale is building to higher standards,” says Todd MacArthur of Execon Roofing and Solar, which installs the builder’s solar systems. “The energy consumption is even lower than we modelled for. It’s hard to build to air-tight standards like this: it needs attention to detail from the foundation to the shingles.”
All those nods to energy efficiency, comfort and quality were a big draw for buyers Calvin and Dawn Smith. Already well-versed in the benefits of energy-wise living and knowing Urbandale’s reputation for quality, they bought a Sandy Cove Net Zero Ready bungalow in Kanata Lakes.
“The ERV is doing a phenomenal job,” says Calvin, adding that their home was “very comfortable” during February’s bone-chilling cold snap.
“We really liked Urbandale’s floor plans, and they let us make structural changes,” says Dawn. “They were very accommodating. This is our fourth new home and this is the one house that, when I walked in, I said: ‘This is exactly what I want.’ It just felt like home.”
Future-proofing your investment in an Urbandale Net Zero Ready home
With Canada committed to a Net Zero standard for all new-build homes in the coming years, the direction of homebuilding is clear: even greater energy efficiency, comfort and cost savings verified by the EnerGuide Rating System.
“We’re future-proofing what we are building now,” says Richard Sachs, president of family-owned Urbandale Construction. “We see it as of way of introducing buyers to how a Net Zero Ready home with 5 kW of solar can save them money while keeping their family cosy in cold Ottawa winters and comfortable when the thermometer soars in the summer. And in the long run it’s an excellent investment.”
Add access to a 35-year amortization, RBC’s Green Home Mortgage program and Urbandale’s 44-year history of quality, and these Net Zero Ready homes are setting the pace for homes of the future.
To find out more about Urbandale’s Net Zero Ready homes, visit urbandaleconstruction.com.
Content for this article was provided to All Things Home by Urbandale Construction.