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REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK Wednesday December IMS HIT rm GUKMNnE CLASS CEDAR MTERJOR DOOR DOOH STOP Main Onwuo 3J2 MB 853 Admiral Contracting No Wafer No Charge Water well drilling Pomp Installations SEP TIC SYSTEMS CELLULAR CALL DECKS HOME RENOVATIONS IB OUR VERY OWN IN OF VINYL MENT WINDOWS SUer Doable Hung ufacture Building energyefficient homes in remote communities planning for success Building energy homes requires careful planning and alien lion to detail under the best of Planning for success lakes on meaning in the North and remote regions Canada An estimated 000 people live in Canada remote commum ties a community is considered remote if il is not on the provin electrical grid sic necessities including building maicnals and fuel are transported to these communities over long distances by truck boat barge or plane As a result it may be weeks or even months between shipments and for someone build ing an energy efficient house that could spell disaster In remote communities planning for success begins long before the first tool is picked up The first consideration in build ing an energy efficient house in the North is the structure design and Thisalsoholds true for entire communities which can be designed and constructed with energy efficiency in mind When designing a home in the North the lifestyle of its occupants should also be taken into account The good news is that a home that suits a rugged northern lifestyle can still be energy efficient Selecting an appropriate heating and ventilation system for the cli mate is the second impor consideration With this in mind the new community of Pea in northern Ontario was chosen as a site for a demonstration project involving five makes of energyefficient wood heating appliances The project was initiated under the Remote Community Demon stration Program RCDP Mines and Resources Canada is designed to help communities and individuals in remote areas find ways to exploit local energy sources develop and employ energy efficient technolo and build energy homes spanner in the project was the Indian Band whose members were clearly determined to live in comfortable elti cient homes alter their dinner community was wiped out by a flood The project an actual community showcase the between located and installed wood stove systems It also furthered the sale use and proper maintenance ol residential wood stove operations in remote native communities And finally it resulted in significant fuel residents estimate that wood use dropped to two to three cords per year from the 1 5 cords used in their previous homes Planning skills is also an ingredient lor success in the North A properly oriented and designed home will not be energy efficient unless proper techniques are followed throughout construe nun 1 hat means a home builder or community may have to send local tradespeople for special training or have the training such as an R Builders Workshop brought directly to the communis I he Island lake Council in northern Manitoba launched an initiative when this sent than tradespeople from several bands lor spend training on en eft lent housing construct ion The skills acquired at this builder course were then put to use constituting the first evei energy efficient homes on northern Manitoba reset v s This project also received RCDP funding The suitability of hous ing in remote v as also put to the test under the Selkirk Band built houses at Pelh rossinu i Workshops were developed and delivered for Tenants and in and a comprehensive monitoring pro was implemented to assess the project In addition to improv ing the quality of housing in Pciij Crossing each of the 2000homes has saved approximately litres of oil per year which will reduce the flow of money out of the com Despite the efforts RCDP and other government programs nilicant impediments remain to energy efficient home construction in remote communities most obvious is the availability of building materials To overcome the problems of availability and cost many home- builders in the North join together to order buildup materials in bulk They are also lining to order all supplies one time and to ensure that is delivered as promised In remote ties even the absence a few sheets of insulation or can wreak havoc on the best laid plans Despite the obstacles it has been proven Time that energy efficient homes be built in remote communities That is an indication both of the housing and ol the determination and our residents