A new affordable housing project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, is aiming to show that low-cost housing and net-zero construction can work together.
Heartland Housing Foundation is building 83 new net-zero homes in the city’s Sherridon neighbourhood, with support from Sustainable Affordable Housing funding through the Green Municipal Fund. The project will be 100 percent affordable, with 80 percent of units priced below the median market rate for Edmonton rentals.
Another 24 percent of the units will be more deeply affordable and targeted towards participants in Alberta’s Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program.
Heartland Housing Foundation operates affordable housing in Fort Saskatchewan and Strathcona County, near Edmonton. It already manages two affordable housing complexes, four seniors’ lodges and five rent-geared-to-income self-contained seniors’ apartment buildings.
How the Building Gets to Net Zero
The Sherridon project is the foundation’s first net-zero construction project. It is designed to eliminate natural gas consumption entirely by using heat pumps and heat recovery systems instead of gas heating.
The building will also include photovoltaic solar arrays on the roof and parkade, a high-performance building envelope, high-performance windows and efficient lighting.
Those features are important because a gas-free building puts more demand on the electrical system. In this case, the design is expected to reduce net electricity use by 13 percent. Solar generation will offset part of the electricity demand, while the building envelope, windows, lighting, heat pumps and heat recovery systems reduce the amount of energy needed in the first place.
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The Green Municipal Fund says the project is expected to cut net energy use by 83 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 59 percent, equal to about 230 tonnes per year.
Lower Operating Costs Support Lower Rents
The project’s affordability strategy is also tied to construction choices. The building will use shipping container construction on the ground floor and standard wood construction on the upper floors.
Heartland Housing Foundation is also using basic finishes, avoiding common amenity rooms and relying on reduced electrical costs from the net-zero design to help maximize affordability.
The approach has drawn national attention. The Green Municipal Fund says the design was selected as a co-investment opportunity by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation because of its innovative model.
A Model For Other Communities
The project will also include social supports through partnerships with the Robin Hood Association, the provincial Family and Community Supports program and the Families First Society.
The Robin Hood Association, which supports people with disabilities, has committed to filling a portion of the units and providing ongoing support to those residents.
Beyond Fort Saskatchewan, the project could become a model for other communities. Modular construction is designed to scale quickly once a concept is tested, and Heartland Housing Foundation plans to share the development model with other non-profits.
The foundation also plans to support local knowledge-sharing and talent development to help build capacity for future net-zero housing projects.
