A much-anticipated event among eco-home enthusiasts took place March 8 with the completion of Belgravia Green—three homes situated in Edmonton’s well-established Belgravia neighbourhood.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the third home was attended by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, city councillor Don Iveson, and former Alberta official opposition leader Kevin Taft and his wife Jeanette Boman.
Taft and Boman are the new owners of the home—the feature of the project—built by Effect Home Builders, a small local company established in 2001 specializing in cutting-edge energy-efficient green designs.
The three homes are net-zero buildings, meaning they produce as a net total as much energy as they consume throughout the year.
Well lit with large, south-facing windows, the feature home offers a simple yet refined open plan for the kitchen/main room where the festivities were held.
In each room, labels here and there denoted the latest eco-friendly features and breakthrough methods of energy and resource efficiency. Particularly notable were the 75-cm thick walls, especially designed to provide insulation for Edmonton’s chilly winters.
Although not excessive in size, the house is open and spacious and has all the amenities needed for a modern lifestyle.
As Boman described to the assembled guests, one of the great appeals of the home is the sense of place that comes with it. It is “not another McMansion,” she quipped.
