smart-devices / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Smart homes: Remotely control and monitor your energy consumption
Efficient home design

Smart homes: efficiency, comfort & convenience at our fingertips

So what is a smart home? When paired with intelligent and connected home devices, the phones that most of us carry in our pockets can make our homes safer, more comfortable and durable, and reduce our home energy consumption by as much as 30% if carefully configured and specified. Heating systems and lights can be turn...

Smart sewage backup device
Plumbing and water heaters

Sewage backup flood prevention and water leak notification on your device - our products of the month

Preventing flood damage in basements is a hot topic as we are regularly seeing the effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather events and unpredictable weather patterns. Snow melt combined with torrential spring rains can lead to very high water tables and consequently, sewage backflow is an increasing dan...

Smart Homes, Technology & UV can Help Reduce COVID-19
Cleaning and maintenance

Keep homes cleaner & safer with smart home features & UV light

Coronavirus or COVID-19 is changing how we live, obliging us to practice social distancing and promoting fervent hand-washing. Until the latest developments in biosensor testing devices for viruses allow rapid on-site and accurate verification of coronavirus infection, the cleaner we can keep the surfaces in our homes,...

Smart Door Lock Buying Guide - Easy DIY Project
Mechanical systems

Smart door lock buying guide

What is a smart lock for a home? Smart door locks are deadbolt front door locks that can be operated in a number of ways - either with a smartphone, a fingerprint reader, passcodes and combinations, or with voice command to Alexa or google phone to activate smart door locks. Everyone has probably at some point locked t...

HEPA filters & SMART Air Filters catch airborne dust, pollen, allergens, viruses
Healthy indoor air quality

Buying guide for home air filters in furnaces - HEPA, SMART or Regular?

What are home air filters used for?   Air filters on air handling units such as furnaces, HRV and ERV systems are intended to clean and purify the air before it enters the ducts of your home, to protect indoor air quality from being contaminated with airborne particulate. Dust, dirt, and pollen in the air of homes is s...

The LEED Platinum Beachaus II from Inhaus Development Ltd.
LEED Homes

LEED Platinum Home in British Columbia

A quick update: as of September 13 Beachaus II has officially been awarded LEED Platinum, the highest possible achievement in the LEED for homes rating system. Designed for active living and built to last – this ultra modern 2000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom home includes a large separate office/studio space and ...

Top Ten Home Renovation Shows on TV
Real estate

North America's Top Ten Home Renovation TV Shows

Are you considering buying a first home, a fan of home renovation shows on TV, and so perhaps pondering embarking on your own fixer-upper adventure? If so, you're somewhat in luck! North American television is currently brimming with entertaining and educational programs that showcase the highs and lows of older home r...

60 Minutes On This Bicycle Can Power Your Home For 24 Hours (In Theory Anyhow)
Renewable energy

Can you really power your home with a bicycle generator?

Mitigating climate change at home, get on your bike! As we look for ways to mitigate climate change, improving home energy efficiency and decentralising power generation is something we can do to reduce our personal energy consumption and carbon footprint. Theoretically then moving towards home solar, wind power and ev...