and society if significant action is taken today using existing technologies and simply scaling up what we already know how to do. The report also rated efficient buildings as a more important contributor to potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions than vehicles.

Now House is retrofitting an existing 60-year-old WWII house into a near zero energy home – one that produces almost as much energy as it uses. Because wartime houses were built to standardized plans, the retrofit formula for one can be applied to many. We will start with one house, then a community of wartime houses, then a million houses across Canada. There are over four million similar wartime houses in the U.S.

If the Now House system design is applied to all existing single detached houses in both countries, we have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by up to 423 million tons annually.

---- THE NOW HOUSE PROJECT PROPOSAL
Now House: One small house. One million opportunities. - embodies Buckminster Fuller’s trimtab concept.
Our Now House™ system design for existing, standardized, post WWII houses achieves significant energy and GHG reductions using current technologies, and simple changes. By leveraging the success of one demonstration house and its potential for replication, we will achieve major positive environmental change through the retrofit of North America’s existing housing stock.

---- HOW NOW HOUSE MEETS BFC CRITERIA
Comprehensive
Now House is a net-zero energy home retrofit design that considers social, environmental, and economic factors.

Anticipatory
The project contributes to existing global carbon mitigation initiatives, and through conservation helps meet global energy demands in this century.

Ecologically responsible
The Now House system design makes use of best practices in energy-saving methods and products; promotes minimal use of new resources and minimal waste production; and produces energy from renewable sources.

Verifiable
Now House uses energy modeling methods and standards accredited by the Canadian government (EnerGuide for Homes, Hot2000, RETScreen) and third party performance monitoring post retrofit.

Replicable
Now House has the potential for replication in 5.5 million wartime houses and up to 77 million existing houses across North America.

Achievable
Now House started as a voluntary, collaborative team effort. Through the team’s fundraising activities, the project is currently receiving financial assistance from private-public funds. For economic viability see Now House Economic Model, Image 4.

---- THREE PHASES: HOUSE, COMMUNITY, NORTH AMERICA

---- PHASE ONE: ONE HOUSE - PROOF OF CONCEPT
Now House™ is one of 12 winning teams from across Canada in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Net Zero Energy Healthy House design competition, now called EQuilibrium sustainable housing initiative.

By February 2008, Now House will have retrofitted a 60-year-old WWII house in Toronto to achieve near zero energy and the following results:

Reduce GHG emissions by 5.4 tons. Through building envelope upgrades, and electrical plug load reductions will reduce GHGs from 9.7 to 4.3 tons annually.

Achieve an annual energy cost of zero. Producing solar energy in the summer offsets cost of gas used in winter.

Reduce plug load by 59.8%. Uses EnergyStar appliances, CFLs and LED lighting, kill switches, and a heat recovery ventilator.

Reduce heat loss to achieve EGH rating of 84 (Canadian rating system is 1 – 100 with higher number better). Envelope upgrades will reduce air leakage from 4.61 air exchanges per hour to 1.5.

Produce energy on site from renewable resources. Uses solar PV and solar thermal systems.

Use minimal new resources and produce minimal waste. We will source insulation and solar systems locally. Siding will be removed for insulating exterior walls and then reused. Waste materials will be recycled. Water use will be reduced through efficient appliances, fixtures, water collectors, and landscaping.

Improve indoor air quality. New operable windows and a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) will ensure fresh air circulation.

Be affordable. Wartime housing was designed and built for assembly and disassembly at a time of conservation and limited resources to provide affordable housing for veterans returning from WWII. Now House extends this legacy of affordable housing through a retrofit that protects mid to lower-income homeowners against rising energy costs well into the future.

Be repeatable. Sixty-six percent of buildings that will be standing in 2050 are already built. The first Now House will provide proof of concept; the formula can be rolled out to millions of wartime houses and single detached homes in Canada and the U.S.

---- PHASE TWO: ONE COMMUNITY - A SOCIOTECHNICAL MODEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Despite existing, proven technologies, government rebates, and information related to home energy reduction, the adoption of residential energy-conservation changes has been slow. Recent studies indicate that a community-based approach to information sharing and implementation of home retrofits, achieves better results.

The Now House Community Retrofit Challenge will invite 150 wartime homeowners in Topham Park, Toronto to join a community project to reduce energy consumption and emissions through changes in their energy use patterns and home retrofits. The participating homeowners will compete against a community energy baseline or green benchmark established at the outset. We will assess the impact on energy reductions of a community project that will include the following key steps:

Pre-Project Survey
We will do a baseline survey of the residents of Topham Park (150 households) to collect demographic, attitudinal and behavioural data to explore the social, technical and economic dimensions of energy use and related decisions in this wartime housing community in Toronto.

The survey results will identify determinants and barriers to acting on home energy-saving programs.

Energy Audit
Each participating homeowner will receive an energy audit to determine their home’s EnerGuide factor – energy efficiency benchmark.

Integrated Design Charette
We will conduct an integrated design charrette for the homeowners to develop community reduction goals and individual retrofit plans working with energy auditors, local contractors, utilitiy representatives, financial institutions and product suppliers.

Retrofit Process and Rebates
All home retrofits will be recorded and results measured. Homeowners will be assisted in the use of government rebate programs.

Project Metrics and Report
Post project energy audits will be used to calculate community energy and emissions reductions. The final report will identify metrics achieved and the influence of a community sociotechnical approach to home retrofits.

A Community Model
Assuming a positive change is achieved, we will produce a ‘how to’ guide of this project for use by other communities.

---- PHASE THREE: LEVERAGING NOW HOUSE SYSTEM DESIGN AND COMMUNITY MODEL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
Why target North America? Canada is the second highest energy consumer per capita in the world. Our residential sector accounts for 15% of the country’s GHGs. The U.S. emits 20% of the world’s GHGs. By targetting the North American residential sector, we can have a major positive impact on reducing energy use and GHGs.

There are an estimated one million wartime houses in Canada with similar footprints and structure and 6.84 million single detached homes. If the Now House retofit design was implemented at a national level, we could achieve an annual GHG reduction between 5.4 million and 26.3 million tons contributing up to 14% of Canada’s Kyoto Protocol emmissions-reduction targets. If the Now House model was implemented in the U.S., nearly 4.5 million homes built in the wartime period and up to 70 million single detached homes would benefit, accomplishing an annual reduction of 423 million tons of GHGs. This would equal a 7% reduction of the total GHGs produced in the U.S. annually.

---- HOW THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR SUCCESS
The Now House project started as a voluntary collaboration of professionals. Support from the BFC will enable us to:

• Conduct the Now House Community Retrofit Challenge in order to develop a best practices model for other community-wide home retrofit projects.
• Create interest in other communities in Canada and the U.S. for replication of the Now House Community model.
• Establish online social networking tools to connect Now House communities and share up-to-date knowledge on home energy efficiencies.
• Develop partnerships with educational institutions, product designers and manufacturers to evolve the Now House retrofit design and technologies.
• Research and map, using GIS files, wartime housing in Canada and the U.S.
• Establish a sustainable business model for the Now House project.

---- PROJECT TIMELINE
2008
February Phase One: Now House demonstration house complete.
January-December Phase Two: Now House Community Retrofit Challenge initiated in partnership with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and the Net Zero Energy Home Coalition.

2009
Phase Three: North American implementation begins.

---- CURRENT COLLABORATORS
Now House Project Inc., Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, Net Zero Energy Home Coalition, Toronto Atmospheric Fund, RBC Royal Bank, Concordia University, University of Waterloo.