Photo courtesy RDC Fine Homes

The 204-m² (2200-sf) "Whistler Vision Net Zero Home" in British Columbia uses only the energy it is able to produce.

A self-sufficient 'green' house was constructed in Whistler, B.C., for resident Richard Wynne, who volunteered its use for the 2010 Olympic Games.

The "Whistler Vision Net Zero Home" served as a hospitality suite and was open to visitors throughout the games. It was also a place for Olympic volunteers and the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association's (CARDA's) team to reside.

The 204-m² (2200-sf) house consumes no more energy than is it able to produce. It operates independently from the power grid and harvests solar energy onsite. The goal is to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum.

Siding for the home plays an important sustainability role as it includes 50 per cent recycled content. The house also features moisture- and mould-resistant interior walls and ceilings, which contribute to improved indoor air quality (IAQ). The solid granite floors use in-floor radiant hydronic heating, and the building has solid-panel wall insulation and tight air sealing.

The wall panels are two sheets of oriented strandboard (OSB) laminated to a core of expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation, which was used for both the walls and roof, with insulating concrete forms (ICFs) used for the foundation. The result was a tight building envelope that significantly reduced the home's air leakage compared to traditional framing.

The triple-pane windows have low-emissivity (low-e) coatings and the frames use fibreglass insulation so there is no dead space. The ceilings are heavily insulated with 1-kg (2-lb) sprayed polyurethane foam (SPF), and the home has structurally insulated panels and 241-mm (9.5-in.) thick walls.

Most windows are on the south side of the home or the hillside to maximize solar gain. The overhangs are positioned to shade the house in the summer and keep cool temperatures, while allowing sun to warm the floors in the winter.