Designing an energy-efficient home for a cold climate

Where does energy-efficient design start?

With the site and the shape. A simple, compact form has less wall and roof area to lose heat through than a house with many wings, bump-outs and dormers. Orientation matters as well: long south-facing walls with well-placed windows let in winter sun, as set out in passive solar design rules. Trees and neighbouring buildings affect both solar gain in winter and shade in summer.

Size is the cheapest efficiency measure of all. Every square metre removed from the plan is heated, built and furnished for free. Many designers start by asking how much space the household really uses.

What order should the design decisions follow?

1. Form and orientation. Compact shape, long side to the south.
2. Insulation. A continuous layer with few thermal bridges, where studs, slab edges and balconies would otherwise carry heat out. The upgrade sequence for existing houses is in insulation upgrade priorities.
3. Windows. Choose glass for the orientation: more solar gain on the south, better insulating value on the north. See energy-efficient windows in Canada.
4. Airtightness. Design a continuous air barrier, then test it, as explained in air tightness and the blower door test.
5. Ventilation. A tight house needs a controlled supply of fresh air, usually with heat recovery, described in the heat recovery ventilator guide.
6. Heating and hot water. Size the equipment to the low load that results, using a proper calculation, as in heat loss calculation.

The order matters because each step shrinks the next one. A tight, well-insulated house needs a smaller, cheaper heating system.

Which standards and ratings can guide the design?

Several Canadian programs set targets. The R-2000 standard, covered in R-2000 homes explained, was developed for energy-efficient new houses. ENERGY STAR labelling for new homes is explained in ENERGY STAR homes in Canada, and the EnerGuide rating gives a score for a house of any age, see EnerGuide rating explained. Passive House is an international standard with its own strict targets.

Provincial building codes set the minimum, and some provinces and municipalities are moving to higher tiers over time. Check what your province and your municipality require now, and ask an energy advisor to model the design before construction. Some programs and rebates for efficient new homes exist and their terms change, so check the Government of Canada energy pages, your province and your utility.

How far should you go toward net zero?

A net-zero-ready house is one built so efficiently that a small solar system could cover its yearly energy. The first parts of the journey, such as air sealing, good windows and a heat pump, cost less per unit of energy saved than the last parts. The balance depends on climate, fuel prices and your plans for the house. The full path, including solar, is in the net-zero home guide.

Also weigh the carbon in the materials. A very thick envelope has an upfront footprint, which is covered in embodied carbon in homes.

What did Drake Landing show about design?

Drake Landing Solar Community in Okotoks, Alberta, paired efficient houses with shared solar heat. Its 52 homes were R-2000 and Built Green Alberta Gold, a design that cut heating demand enough for 40 to 50 degree C district water to do the job. That, plus 800 collectors and a ground store, produced monitored solar shares of 97 percent in 2012 and 100 percent in 2015-16, reported on the performance results page. The homes page describes the houses themselves.

The community was wound down from about 2020 and decommissioned from 2024. The design point still stands: the more efficient the house, the easier it is to heat from any source, solar or otherwise.

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