There are lots of pieces of your home that have a significant impact on how efficient it can be. One of the most is the building envelope. This is where you can really push to make sure the home is nicely sealed, gaining energy efficiency for years to come.
What is the building envelope?
The building envelope is the technical term for the parts of your home that keep the elements out. It includes the windows, doors and vapour barrier in one piece. Think of it like skin, it keeps the outside out, and the inside in.
Why is it important?
The building envelope is massively important. The better it's sealed the more your home will gain efficiency. The most energy-efficient home would be one with no windows or doors, and obviously, that's something nobody would want.
With our Signature Style, we add lots of windows (usually about 50-70% more than others) and we do pay a bit of a penalty with respect to energy efficiency. We balance that out by focusing on the building envelope so that we get the best of both.
Walls of windows like these are common in our homes.
The building envelope acts as the best way to keep air crossing from the inside out. During cold seasons, it helps keep your home warm and the opposite during hot summers. The result is that your H.V.A.C. system is running less, keeping utility bills lower.
The building code is constantly evolving and focusing more and more on energy-efficient items. We decided a while ago that focusing on the building envelope now helps our clients retain the value of our efforts in their home.
What does Kanvi do differently?
We made the changes years ago to remove bathroom fans, a key area where energy loss occurs. Now, all our homes have an active HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) that cycles the warm air and removes the moisture.
Our construction team does an inspection on the vapour barrier before drywall and each home is energy modelled. Our trades are also well aware that it's an area we focus on, and they pay extra attention to this important piece.
As much as this component of your home is quite hidden, its impact is massive. Having a well-sealed home doesn't just allow your home to be efficient, it allows you to retain the value against energy building codes getting higher.
