A prototype of the energy-efficient Northern Sustainable House.
Energy efficiency and a move away from diesel fuel are hallmarks of new designs
What will the typical northern community be like in Canada in 2050? While some people may imagine bubble-enclosed towns and flying cars, for northerners the future may be closer to home.
On the west coast of Hudson Bay in the Nunavut hamlet of Arviat, population 2,318, a prototype of the Northern Sustainable House has been designed and built, with support from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Nunavut Housing Corporation and lots of community wisdom. It's one of two prototypes designed especially for northern conditions (the other is in Dawson City, Yukon).
The sustainable house aims to be 50-per-cent more efficient than the model National Energy Code requirement for houses, and it's built with respect for local culture and traditions. In Nunavut, that means having a large storage area as well as a cool room used for sewing skins and an open kitchen/living area for extended family gatherings. Bedrooms are next to this open area.
The house also makes best use of the sun, with most of the windows facing south and a large vertical area for solar panels. The building has different summer and winter entries, and the winter one has an airlock.
It's also important to find better ways to manage the energy needed to heat these homes, with more renewables and fewer fossil fuels. Right now, according to Natural Resources Canada, more than 300 northern communities rely on diesel generators for their electricity; until now, Nunavut has been completely reliant on fossil fuels.
But diesel has to be delivered either by barge or, where there are no ports, by ice roads. Ice-road trucking makes interesting reality TV, but the seasons are shorter and less predictable because of climate change, so northerners are looking for more renewable solutions.
Nunavut has no permanent highways and is therefore on the hunt for ways to wean communities off diesel. Its energy strategy is called Ikummatiit, which means different forms of energy. The territory's utility, Quilliq Energy, has been conducting site reviews for hydroelectric plants and an 84-kilometre transmission line. Nunavut is also looking to recover more waste heat from buildings.
Canada's northern communities are not all alike, but they do share some values: self-reliance, rich culture and traditions and the need to adapt to extreme conditions that are shifting rapidly due to climate change.
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