Kelowna’s first certified passive house uses 90 per cent less energy

KELOWNA – A local company is building Kelowna’s first internationally certified passive house.

The East Kelowna home, which when completed next spring, will use only 10 per cent of the energy it would otherwise.

Mike Banner of Prime Habitat Builders says there are dozens of energy efficient homes in Kelowna, but this will be the first one that is certified by the Canadian Passive House Institute.

“This house will approach net zero, meaning it produces as much energy as it consumes,” he says. "It's warm in the winter and cool in the summer and because it's so insulated it's absolutely silent.”

Passive homes, while common in Europe, are a relatively new concept in North America. The homes cost 10 to 15 per cent more money to build and it can be difficult to find a company to build them, but Banner says this is the future of home building. Aside from some solar photoelectric panels on the roof, it’s indistinguishable from other homes on the block.

“It can look like any other building,” he says. “This house is 2,400 sq feet so it’s not a mansion, but the architectural style is quite modern."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.