NOVA SCOTIA’S FIRST NET-ZERO HOME

BUILT TO PASSIVE HOUSE STANDARDS

The home was built with a ‘smart-home’ ecosystem providing self-intelligent shades,
a heat-recovery ventilation and air ow system, induction stovetop and heat pump
condensing washer/dryer both with with no exhaust venting, a solar-thermal heat
pump, as well as remote management of all systems & sensors.
HIGH PERFORMANCE
HOUSE based on
RENEWABLE ENERGY
and RESOURCES

The house in Valley, Nova Scotia is called Naguset, the Mi’kmaq

word for "sun". Naguset is certi ed as a Net-Zero Home and built to
Passive House standards. Naguset is a R-2000 house and achieved
an Energuide rating of 91 – requiring little to no purchased energy.
A rating of 100 is the maximum ef ciency score as de ned by
Natural Resources Canada. Typically, R-2000 homes need 30% less
energy to operate than conventional new homes. Airtightness is
critical to building performance and energy ef ciency. The blower-
door test on Naguset resulted in a reading of 0.4 ACH (Air Changes/
Hour). A typical home would measure 1.5 ACH.
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 REGENERATIVE LANDSCAPE
Dr. Richard leBrasseur, the homeowner, teaches sustainable environmental design and landscape
architecture at Dalhousie University and is Director of the interdisciplinary Green Infrastructure
Performance Lab. His goal is to inhabit a home for the long-term that reflects his core values
within teaching, designing and living. The evolving landscape here will include rainwater management
and cleansing before entering the public system, a butterfly garden, an outdoor living area with
sustainable and recycled materials, and a native, low-maintenance landscape surrounding the house
which increases biodiversity, habitat, air and water quality, and carbon sequestration as well as a
chance to relax and connect with nature.

Wood Ceiling Fan

Bamboo