Posted on 01/03/2019 8:24:17 AM PST by jerod
West Vancouver residence showcases technology that will soon be part of Canada's building code
Sometimes being energy conscious can mean geeking out on gigawatts, or studying the latest heat exchanger technology. But in this case, it involved splurging on a $2,000 cat door.
The super-insulated, radio-frequency-controlled designer cat passageway is one of many energy saving features in a super energy efficient house being built in West Vancouver.
"I was in Austria at a passive house conference, and it was amazing seeing all these building products being built," said home owner James Dean. "One was a cat door where you needed a certain insulation level, [it] needs to be airtight, and they have an actuator that opens the door for your cat."
Canada... Just not ready for Carbon Taxes.
Somebody is laffing all the way to the bank.....................
Actuator? Is that what they call Guatemalans nowadays?
Does it hold the door open while your cat decides whether it wants in or out?
Clue...squirrels don't meow.
The Cat’s MEOW......
Actually, I know someone who bought an actuator-controlled electric feeding dish for their cat - to stop their dog from eating all the cat food. Their was a special microchip collar for the cat, and when their cat went near the dish the lid that kept the dog from eating the cat food would lift up - to let the cat eat. The problem is that when their cat goes near the dish, and the lid automatically opens, it freaks out their cat - who runs away. Their dog waits for this, and jumps in to eat the cat food before the lid closes again.
Their was = there was..
I know a guy who builds high performance homes. He preaches completely dumping the green terminology in favor of high performance.
He makes a great case for super insulation levels, and low energy consumption products.
I’m as far away from envirowackosim as you can get. My city issued recycle bin resides unused behind my shed. However, if you can make a legitimate case for saving money by saving energy, with a reasonable payoff equilibrium, I’m all for it.
He built one house where he made an all glass exterior wall that faces south. There is a short s]hallway behind it that is nothing but a warming room. Heat from the sun warms the room and the hot air gets pumped into the house to take some pressure off the furnace. In a weird way, it makes some sense.
Passivehaus stuff is just pure nonsense though. The lunatics take it way too far.
Just a minute. Don’t tell me that a radio-controlled cat door is energy efficient. There’s nothing wrong with it, but don’t tell me that it saves energy. It uses energy.
How much did it cost to build this house?
I remember when geodesic dome houses were a fad for awhile. Those Monolithic houses have a bit of a Hobbit Hole vibe to them (I mean that as a compliment).
I might actually want a heavily insulated, radio controlled pet door if I lived in Edmonton or Yellowknife.
Vancouver, not so much.
These guys are extreme and the door will probably fail long before it pays for itself.
However, we do place too little emphasis on insulation and sealing for homes. The codes require it but it is almost an afterthought. Nobody cares once the walls are sealed and nobody is going out there checking for leaks with infrared cams.
A single small air leak or forgotten piece of insulation will cost a home owner $thousands before the next average renovation finds it.
For a large home with many gaps in insulation, you can easily be talking $100k+ lost to the owner. All because the contractor wants to save a few thousand upfront and there is no accountability.
“Our boys are really excited about it and are growing up in an environment where they’re conscious of being energy efficient.”
Maybe having a pet causes the owner to have too big of a carbon footprint. It would be better for the environment to outlaw pets.
That $2000 is the initial outlay. They’re going to constantly have to buy new batteries and new cat collars and what if Miss Fluffy gets locked outside in freezing weather when it malfunctions?
My cat and dog doors don’t cost a dime. I’m the door.
I used to want an earth home built into a hillside but with windows only on one side, you can’t see who’s sneaking up on it.
You know what doesn’t fit in a round house? Furniture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.