SASKATOON'S SUPERINSULATED HOUSE

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In all likelihood, the Saskatoon program will point the way toward establishing new standards of energy-efficient housing for cold-weather areas. Indeed, the impact of the Energy Showcase project is already apparent: Several hundred superinsulated homes have been built in Saskatoon since 1981 ... and the provincial government has made interest-free loans available to builders of low-energy houses.

Superinsulated construction offers several advantages in addition to its fuel efficiency. First, it's a flexible building method that can accommodate many different housing designs. If the basic principles behind the technique (additional insulation in all areas including the basement floor, an airtight air/vapor barrier, an air-to-air heat exchanger, and attention to glazing) are adhered to, almost any plan could be used to produce a respectable energy performer.

Second, a superinsulated home isn't as dependent upon optimum solar siting as are typical passive or active sun-heated houses, and thus the construction method may prove to be a boon for folks forced to cope with locations that have less-than-favorable exposures.

Third, as many of the 45,000 persons who toured the Energy Showcase homes during October 1980 discovered, superinsulation is an unobtrusive technique. The foot-wide windowsills in the houses—which resemble bay windows from the interior—are about the only visible indications of the dwellings' unique construction.

In conclusion, while it remains to be seen whether superinsulation will eventually edge out the more "glamorous" forms of low-energy housing, one fact shines clear: Contractors can build affordable, comfortable airtight homes at reasonable prices . . . and there's a city block of proof in a suburb of Saskatoon.

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