Rise: Those airtightness figures are amazing – one of the most airtight we've ever seen. Are there any features you find especially interesting, or that were a challenge to incorporate?

Claire: I love the almost sound-proof aspect of the house, especially living on the Island Hwy with lots of traffic. We also made sure there were many windows on the east and south sides which brings in plenty of natural light. I have a sunroom facing south with 3 sides of windows, plus a gable of windows all along the south side on the upper level. We used LED light fixtures and bulbs wherever we could, too, so even when I do have to turn on lights I know they don't draw much power. We were fortunate to have a British Columbia company to provide the triple-glazed windows and exterior doors. Because of the frequency of power outages during stormy weather, I had a battery back-up system with a grid-tied inverter installed. Key appliances, lights, and power plugs are connected to it; I could probably have power from it, albeit limited, for up to 4 days in a 'worst-case scenario' like an earthquake. When the solar panels are installed (likely this spring) then they will 'top-up' the batteries, as needed, before they provide power to the house and feed any extra to BC Hydro's system.

Rise: How much does it cost you to heat and cool your building annually and how does this compare to your previous home?

Claire: I haven't been in the house for a year so I can't identify my annual energy costs yet. Besides, we had the coldest winter and record amounts of snow for many years this year! I have also had slightly higher energy costs this winter because of the use of baseboard heaters, compared to having a heat pump, but will be able to recoup some of this once solar panels are installed. I decided that the cost of a heat pump could be used instead of baseboard heaters and 12 solar panels, which I think has more long-term energy sustainability as an option.