Contributed
The inaugural Net Zero Now seminar was such a smashing success that Wilden Living Lab is already planning to make it an annual affair.
The Jan. 18 event brought together a wide-ranging group of construction industry leaders to discuss the multifaceted aspects of achieving net zero. From the scientific to the practical, and from energy suppliers to homeowners, the seminar offered insights into making energy-efficient and sustainable homes a reality.
“I was pleased to attend the Net Zero Now seminar,” Innovation Okanagan Network co-chairman Dick Fletcher says. “It was well presented and an extremely informative event that emphasized the importance of industry and community working together to develop and implement solutions in building more energy efficient and sustainable homes that are imperative to our Okanagan region and beyond.”
Another attendee, who owns an Okanagan construction company, says he had never learned so much about building a net-zero home in any other seminar he had attended previously.
The positive feedback from this year’s Net Zero Now has already spurred plans for next year’s event, with it tentatively scheduled for January 2025.
Wilden Living Lab, which is a nearly decade-long research project focusing on net-zero homes, and the Green Construction Research and Training Centre, which is a collaboration between UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, co-ordinated the seminar. It was held in partnership with AuthenTech Homes, FortisBC, the Wilden Group, Genesis Building Controls, Total Home Solutions and Canadian Home Builders Association-Central Okanagan.
Key presentations included FortisBC’s Jason Wolfe, who emphasized the importance of a diversified energy approach, integrating both electricity and renewable natural gas to decarbonize buildings. FortisBC’s insights into residential battery storage and electric vehicle charging options for grid relief during peak times further illustrated the innovative approaches to energy management being considered.
The Green Construction Research and Training Centre highlighted the partnership between UBC and Okanagan College, showcasing the value of combining research with practical learning through work-integrated opportunities for students. This synergy was further exemplified by the participation of UBC’s Dr. Shahria Alam and Okanagan College’s Stephen Speers at the event.
Experts like Trent Novakowski, Dr. Piyaruwan Kaluthantirige, and S. Rubaiya Sultana delved into energy upgrade technologies and the evaluation of such technologies used in the Wilden Living Lab homes. Their discussions extended to life cycle sustainability assessment and embodied carbon, presenting a comprehensive view of energy efficiency strategies.
Net Zero Now also featured discussions on the integrated design process, airtight envelope construction and energy modelling, showcasing the practical steps needed to build net-zero homes.
Wilden Group CEO Karin Eger-Blenk’s vision for low-emission communities capped the day, offering a roadmap for greener neighbourhoods.
Those interested in the evolving field of net-zero homes are invited to sign up for the Wilden Living Lab newsletter, which offers updates on the project, news stories and information on the next Net Zero Now seminar.
Photo: Contributed
This article is written by or on behalf of the sponsoring client and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
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