Manitoba students building zero-energy house

December 28, 2017

Carpentry and woodworking students at Assiniboine Community College in Dauphin Manitoba are within months of completing a net-zero energy house.
“They will have the framing done by Christmas break,” said Kevin Poirier, head of construction trade training at the college, adding that construction should be finished at the end of the semester in May 2018.
The project is being built with $183,000 in funding from Natural Resources Canada. A net-zero home produces enough energy annually to balance out what it consumes. The focus of the project is to use smart design to incorporate energy reduction techniques at the earliest stages of planning, focusing first on insulation levels, air tightness, efficient windows and doors, and heating and cooling systems.
The finished home will be a first student-built net-zero home constructed in the province. The public will have an opportunity to tour the home when it is finished. The plan is that the house will be sold with the profits going towards the construction of future net-zero energy homes by Assiniboine students.
“This is a terrific example of what collaboration can offer, and we believe this project will demonstrate how smart investments in energy efficient homes make economic sense, not only in the Parkland Region but across Canada,” said Assiniboine Community College president Mark Frison.
The project is being supervised by faculty as part of regular course work, with support from the City of Dauphin, the Dauphin Co-op Building Centre, Catalyst Credit Union, Manitoba Hydro and Natural Resources Canada.
The project is important to demonstrate the value of building net-zero homes in small, rural communities such as Dauphin while educating trades students on the use of energy modelling and the EnerGuide rating systems, according to school officials.