Concrete Home in Canada Aims to be Net Zero in Energy Consumption

An innovative Habitat for Humanity pilot project has some concrete ideas about how NetZero Energy homes could be constructed. NRMCA Member Lafarge Precast along with its consulting engineering firm Stantec are completing their first pre-cast concrete duplex home as a prototype design to make homes from concrete. The duplex is designed to be NetZero, meaning over a year its consumption of energy for heating, cooling, lights, water and cooking will be zero. It has photovoltaic and thermal solar panels on the roof and the units also share a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling. It also takes advantage of the density of the concrete, using its thermal mass to retain heat from the daytime sun and to absorb and deflect heat from the hot winter sun.