In 1989 the "Advanced House" was constructed in Brampton, Ontario as an example of leading-edge energy-efficient and environmentally responsible housing . It is part of Canada's contribution to the International Energy Agency Task XIII Advanced Solar/Low Energy Residential Buildings, which examines innovative methods of reducing residential energy consumption.
The energy consumption for heating has in many countries been greatly reduced over the last few years. This is mostly achieved by the use of traditional energy conservation and solar technologies. The total energy consumption, especially in residential buildings, is, however, still large and warrants considerable effort. To obtain a significant further reduction in the energy consumption for heating, and also to reduce the consumption for cooling, ventilation, and lighting, it has become necessary to develop new building concepts.
Across the world, the dominant form of building construction is heavy, load-bearing masonry or poured concrete, not timber- or steelframe. It is possible to make these buildings very energy-efficient, but they present very different problems from those associated with timber-frame buildings.
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