With GreenHouse Certified Construction, the Energy Star Qualified New Home has all the energy-efficient bells and whistles, from fibreglass-framed windows labelled to withstand Arctic conditions to a system that collects rain water and melted snow and stores it in a 12,000-litre underground cistern for use in the home's seven toilets and for irrigation. "Every drop of rain water is used," says Amedeo Barbini of Barbini Developments Inc.

" Energy efficient systems are designed to save money, but they don't compromise comfort "

Hybrid Heating System

The 2,500-square-foot lower level is not cold and damp - the humidity and temperature are the same as they are throughout the rest of the house. "The heating system is somewhat of a hybrid. The main appliance is a modulating gas boiler, modulating meaning that it does not turn on and off," Barbini says. Instead, it ramps up as required. "The boiler heats water for domestic use, the heated floors throughout the house and the air. The air in the house is heated by water, not a gas appliance like a furnace." The system is low maintenance, requiring only a filter change once a year. If it's dry and cold outside, a steam humidifier with a reverse osmosis system adds moisture to the air as it enters the house. The system adds about 12 gallons of water every 24 hours in the winter and the humidity level never goes under 35 per cent. The two HRV systems run continuously, exchanging air every 12 to 16 hours. "As the air goes through the air handlers, it is filtered and on the second floor it also goes through a separate HEPA filtering system," he says.

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