If you live near a Net Zero or EQuilibrium^TM home, you could treat your Valentine to a mental "candy box" of creative ideas by attending an open house.

No Valentine? Visit one of these clever housing experiments and elevate your thinking to exciting, practical new levels. The EQuilibrium^TM concept is rich in inspiration and transferable technologies and ideas. Each home design "brings together -- under one roof -- the principles of occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency, renewable energy production, resource and water conservation, and reduced environmental impact."

The national housing agency Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) describes EQuilibrium as a national Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative that "brings the private and public sectors together to develop homes that combine resource- and energy-efficient technologies with renewable energy technologies in order to reduce their environmental impact."

In 2007, CMHC selected 12 homebuilding teams from across Canada. Each team received funding to conceive and create an EQuilibrium demonstration project in their area. The program stipulates that the completed homes must be open for public and professional tours for six months and then monitored for performance over the first year of occupation.

Six CMHC EQuilibrium demonstration homes have completed construction. There have been no sales yet. CMHC reports that four homes are open for public or group tours:

1. The Avalon Discovery 3 House, 3 Issard Close, Red Deer, Alberta
   Team: Avalon Master Builder
   Open: Monday to Wednesday from 2p.m. to 5p.m., and Saturday and Sunday (and Holidays) from noon to 5p.m.

2. Inspiration — The Minto Ecohome, 5676 Manotick Main Street, Manotick, Ontario
   Team: The Minto Group
   Open: Public tours - Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5p.m; Guided tours arranged by contacting Leonard Hart at lhart@minto.com or at 416-850-8397.

3. The Laebon Canadian Housing Energy Sustainable Solutions (CHESS) Project
   Team: Laebon Homes, 3 Landry Close, Red Deer, Alberta
   Open: Saturdays and Sundays from 1p.m to 5p.m.

4. Riverdale NetZero Project, 9926 87 St NW, Edmonton, Alberta
   Team: Habitat Studio & Workshop, Ltd.
   Open: Saturdays from 1p.m. to 4p.m.; For additional tour information: riverdalenetzero.ca; Contact the project team at info@riverdalenetzero.ca for group tours.

EQ Project Manager Thomas Green emphasizes the need for the EQ project as a catalyst for innovation: "The problem is when we are trying to trickle down a way to energy efficiency, instead of rethinking how we design our homes." Three new EQ teams will be announced Friday, February 13 to expand the program into areas not covered, including British Columbia and Atlantic Canada.

Green calls the EQ homes Market Sustainable Housing because they are not prototypes or government-funded housing, but homes owned by teams which design, build, market and sell their property. Green reports that the finished projects proved easier for the teams to complete than the teams had expected. The remaining six are resolving their development challenges and dealing with a dramatically-changed marketplace, but the process still offers marketing and education opportunities to spread the word about their Net Zero technologies and plans.

This column's earlier article, "EQuilibrium Housing: YIPI! Solar with First Nation Ingenuity," celebrated the launch of the particularly innovative project based outside Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Designers of YIPI! Net Zero Footprint Housingcombined solar energy homes with a novel centralized building approach which moves finished homes to their final resting site, instead of transporting material and workers over vast rural distances to individual building lots.

Team member Jeannine Paul of Nexus Solar, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, applied EQ solar standards to one property owner's recreational property. This became proof of the benefits of a particular building orientation and set-back adjustment that local council would not otherwise have approved.

There's still time for a forward-thinking Alberta land owner to make a strong cost-effective environmental statement as part of the Prince Albert-based YIPI! Net Zero Footprint Housing project. They are ready to design and build your new cabin or house as their EQ energy-efficient solar home.

Published: February 10, 2009

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Futurist and Strategist PJ Wade is "The Catalyst" -- intent on "Challenging The Best Become Even Better." PJ earned this title by translating the dynamic impact of Boomers and their multi-generation families into relevant insights that start people thinking and taking action—in business and in life. Author of 7 books and more than 1600 published articles, PJ encourages individuals to become their own futurist. PJ writes and speaks about the insight, knowledge and solid decision-making skills that professionals and their clients need to live and work in this vortex of change. For instance, since PJ knows that home is headquarters for the new decades-long "unretirement," she wrote the popular book "Reverse Mortgages: Best Friend, Worst Enemy... Your Choice! (CatapultPublishing.com), which is filled with suggestions and insight on protecting and using home equity. Her new business book, "What's Your Point?," which identifies 7 common mistakes professionals unknowingly repeat to their detriment, will be published in 2009. As The Catalyst, PJ provides strategic communication, client appreciation and advanced education services to the financial, tourism, lifestyle and service sectors -- and the clients they serve. A frequently-quoted financial and business commentator, PJ is a thought-provoking strategic speaker who offers practical, real-life suggestions on leaving "the box" behind and embracing Forward Thinking -- a talent she regularly demonstrates in this column. For more on blogs, books and topics, visit TheCatalyst.com.