Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse in LEED home

With increasing awareness and concern over the energy costs and health impacts of new homes, the idea of building a sustainable home is quickly catching on across Canada.  What many people do not realize is that resilient, green homes can help families ride out the collapse of society in any number of scenarios.

As Canada's most stringently verified and sustainable homes,  LEED homes are more energy efficient, durable and sustainable then other homes. These homes also feature increased resiliency against future disasters, be it a bad blizzard, extended power outages or the occasionally predicted Zombie Apocalypse.

Long Term Grid Down (LTGD)
The first things to shut down in an emergency situation are typically the electricity and gas grids. LEED homes are better insulated than average homes built to Code minimum specification.  Many LEED homes take advantage of passive solar heat and feature improved window and wall insulation, meaning a the home will stay warmer in a grid down scenario.  Many LEED homes even earn credit for solar electric PV arrays which can provide sustainable power to the home during an emergency situation, ensuring frozen food stockpiles are kept fresh and the electric fence stays on.

Indoor Air Quality
During many disasters, ensuring clean indoor air is critical.  Air tightness and air filtration are key to keeping out super bugs and the ashes of society as we know it. All LEED homes are third party tested and are required to have an extremely tight building envelope. To further ensure healthy indoor air quality, LEED homes require balanced ventilation systems and good air filtration. MERV 12 air filters can filter out many bacteria strains including, we're sure, the more common Zombie related strains; MERV 14 filters will keep out the smoke from the burning bodies.

Durability
Building a durable home is a key requirement of the LEED program. Builders must add 15 to 25 durability measures specific to their region and climate. Durable siding will help prevent damage during zombie raids and allow for easy cleaning of blood and gore.  Pest control features will help keep the rats and cockroaches from infesting your home as other food sources collapse, and maintaining minimum distances between the house and landscape vegetation will limit the areas that zombies can lie in wait for the unsuspecting homeowner.

Water efficiency
LEED provides credit for rainwater and grey water reuse. These features can allow for off-the-grid water and back up systems. With city water systems down, and no outside help or food sources available for the foreseeable future, being able to water your food garden and sustain your family will mean the difference between surviving or not.  As long as you have running water, the end of the world may be coming, but at least you can still flush your water efficient toilet and enjoy a low-flow shower.

The end of modern society is really only one super bug, nuclear strike, meteor impact or zombie apocalypse away, and the effects of climate change may stretch our municipal services to their breaking points.  LEED homes provide a welcome resilience to an uncertain future while providing comfort and energy savings for today.

Comments

  1. Air filter maintenance must be taken out carefully. As your home indoor quality totally depend on that. Heating and Cooling Scarborough

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