
Back to the Future Homes | EcoSmart
At EcoSmart we build NOT SO BIG affordable #NetZeroEnergy high performance homes. Our homes of the future are sustainable and provide a great return on investment. Our recipe is simple! We build homes that go back to basics of being practical affordable and NOT SO BIG with Net Zero Energy as opposed to the more expensive and resource intensive not so sustainable BIG BOX HOMES
EcoSmart is targeting investors that want a sustainable solution that achieves positive cash flow f

Murray the "Net Zero GUY"
Building the FUTURE One day two Donkeys from Maui, stopped Murray and requested that he stop having so dam much fun wave sailing and do something to fix the extreme effects of climate change. The locals were starting to get a little pissed that the grass wasn't as GREEN as it should and decided to approach warriors that love to play in the beautiful outdoors to join forces and make the difficult changes needed to secure the future. Murray being knowledgeable and passionate a

WHY Not NetZero ... We Did!
EcoSmart Prefab GREEN Net 0 Targeted Duplex 1602 Edward Avenue, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Our goal for this project was to demonstrate that we could build beautiful unique Net 0 homes that are economically viable. By vertically integrating construction services and utilizing a prefab wall system we reduced the cost of construction. By utilizing passive solar and an integrated design we hopefully have reduced building loads enough that our 6 kW PV system will produce as much ene

Passive House Performance on a Beer Budget
Blue Heron Haus - Net 0 Targeted Home for Kent & Darcy Earle For this passive solar design the goal was to deliver an affordable simple Net Zero energy home at approximately the same cost as a traditional build. This was achieved by integrating project management and construction services with a high level of owner involvement. By utilizing simple energy efficient technology together with a passive solar design, hopefully we have reduced the building loads enough that the 6

Be COOL with Realistic Comfort Expectations!
Back in the olden days people would dress for the weather, put another log on the fire or head to the beach to deal with extreme weather variations. Today we adjust a thermostat and expect immediate response and thermal gratification; independent of the capital, energy cost and GHG emissions that are required to support our high expectations for thermal comfort. We are not talking about this type of EXTREME In North America we have the luxury of being able to live and work i

Barriers to High-Performance Building
Barriers to High-Performance Buildings The journey to develop a Green building industry needs to start with a good understanding of the barriers to high performance buildings. Once we understand the barriers we can then develop new thinking, and process improvements required to achieve much higher levels of performance. A strategic issues paper written by Amory Lovins titled “Energy Efficient Buildings: Institutional Barriers and Opportunities”, provides insight as to why the

Rob Dumont's High Performance Home Recipe
Rob Dumont was a building scientist who was a friend and a pioneer in high performance home building. Rob loved simple practical high performance building solutions. His favorite being INSULATION. Rob was also an abundance thinker always willing to share “his special recipe” that is based upon a life long journey of research and innovation. Rob's Award: Insulation is more impoirtant than Imagination Rob's journey began long ago when he participated as a young engineer and s