About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Team Ontario has designed, is building, and will operate a net-zero solar home that generates much energy as it needs to operate. By creating a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive home, it is our hope that ECHO (Ecological Home) will be a living space that will co-exist with, rather than exploit, our environment.

By participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, we are excited to welcome guests into our home and to inspire them to demand more for our environment. To do so, however, we have to move our home from Ottawa, Canada to Irvine, California.

We are confident that if we connect the public with a real-life example of sustainable living, then we can help our environment while we still have the chance to.

What is the significance of this project?

For a while now, we've been told of the condition our environment is in and the grim prospects of its future. We've been warned that our current lifestyle cannot be sustained and that a solution to this dire problem needs to be found. Team Ontario wants to find the answers we need for a better tomorrow, today. It is imperative that we demonstrate that sustainable living is not a concept for the future, but rather an accessible lifestyle that is attainable in our generation.

Our team has the passion and knowledge for the project. Tours are run at our Queen's Solar Education Centre to show elementary and secondary students the exciting possibilities of solar energy. Post-secondary students have conducted the research and tests that will be installed in ECHO. The home is also nearly finished with three amazing design features - total thermal profile (integrated mechanical system, vacuum insulated walls, and predictive shading), smart controls for interaction, and outer shield (exostructure). These three designs allow homeowners to easily and consciously save energy. We are hopeful that the innovations we've made will make our research stand out. All we need now is a little more support so our project and efforts can be effectively shared with all of the world.

What are the goals of the project?

Contributions will help ship ECHO from Ottawa, Canada to Irvine, California for the Decathlon, and back again. Our home recently moved to Ottawa for final construction with a public exhibit in the nation's capital to follow. We've already moved the home once, so we're pretty experienced at what we do. ECHO will be taken apart into two modules, secured onto flatbeds, and driven to Orange County Great Park where it will compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.