Kelowna’s research initiative for sustainable home building has started to collect data from the third test-home.
The Wilden Living Lab is not your typical family home; it’s a living experiment, built to be a testing ground for energy efficiency and sustainable living. It’s the result of a visionary partnership that includes the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), Okanagan College, AuthenTech, Fortis BC, and the Wilden community.
One of the key features of this project is the monitoring of energy consumption. Advanced construction technologies and highly efficient heating systems have been integrated into the current test home to track energy usage and environmental impact. Data collected from this living lab will be invaluable to understand and develop more sustainable living practices.
In Summer 2023 Scott and Georgia purchased the Next Generation net zero home and committed to their energy usage being tracked by the research team of the Green Construction Research and Training Centre.
This pioneering family gets to enjoy state-of-the-art amenities, the latest in sustainable living, and the satisfaction of knowing they’re contributing to a brighter future. Some benefits include:
- Energy Savings: The Wilden Living Lab is designed to minimize energy consumption and reduce utility bills. The family can enjoy the financial benefits of a more energy-efficient home.
- Comfort and Health: The house boasts cutting-edge ventilation and heating systems to maintain optimal comfort and indoor air quality.
- Environmental Stewardship: The residents have the opportunity to actively participate in a project that’s shaping a more sustainable future, reducing their carbon footprint in the process.
The Wilden Living Lab isn’t just a project of academic curiosity; it makes economic and environmental sense too. Here’s why investing in such an initiative is not only visionary but also practical:
- Energy Efficiency: The home is designed to be a net-zero energy house, producing as much energy as it consumes. This translates to long-term savings for homeowners, providing an attractive return on investment.
- Sustainable Practices: The advanced building technologies and equipement used in the Wilden Living Lab can be applied to future home constructions, ultimately leading to more sustainable, eco-friendly communities.
- Community Development: This initiative fosters collaboration between multiple stakeholders and promotes knowledge sharing.
The Wilden Living Lab will help redefine how we solve the housing crisis in the face of growing environmental challenges.
“It is inevitable that we keep providing homes for our growing population in BC. As a real estate developer we want to contribute to advancing sustainable building practices, so that new homes will operate with less energy and close-to-zero carbon emissions”, says Karin Eger-Blenk, CEO and Co-Chair of the Wilden Group.
The knowledge and insights gained from this project have the potential to extend their influence far beyond Kelowna.
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The Wilden Living Lab isn’t just a home; it’s a testament to what’s possible when collaboration, innovation, and sustainability converge.
