HSS Design Build at Work
This spring, the team at HSS Design Build has been hard at work on an exciting and innovative retrofit project using Low Carbon Prefabricated Exterior Energy Retrofit (PEER) panels. It’s a big name, but the concept is simple—and powerful. Let’s break it down:
Energy Retrofit
PEER panels are engineered to significantly reduce your home’s energy consumption. That means lower utility bills and a more comfortable, consistent indoor climate. By upgrading the building envelope, the system helps maintain stable interior temperatures and creates a healthier, more efficient living space.
Prefabricated Exterior
These panels are built off-site and then delivered and installed directly on the exterior of your home. This method speeds up installation, reduces on-site waste, and minimizes disruption—so you can stay in your home during the retrofit. Because the work is done entirely from the outside, there’s no loss of interior floor space. As a bonus, your home gets a refreshed look in the process.
Pictured: Team member Brock finishes up a PEER panel.
Pictured: A low carbon PEER panel is being assembled, while another team member prepares lumber for the next one.
Low Carbon
Traditional insulation materials, often made from petroleum-based or mineral sources, typically have a high carbon footprint and persist in landfills. PEER panels, on the other hand, use wood fibre insulation—a renewable, carbon-sequestering material that enhances indoor acoustics and temperature stability.
Both rigid and blown-in wood fibre insulation help lock carbon inside the walls of your home while improving thermal performance and soundproofing.
Pictured: Rigid wood fiber insulation and blow in wood fiber cellulose insulation sequester carbon within the wall of your home while improving acoustics and temperature regulation within your home.
Case Study
Thanks to support from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program and the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA), HSS Design Build has developed this groundbreaking system and is rolling it out on three pilot projects in the Bow Valley.
Over the coming year, we’ll be gathering real-world performance data to assess durability, efficiency, and user comfort.
In 2027, we’ll publish a How-To Guide and Case Study to share our findings and encourage broader adoption of the PEER system and wood fibre insulation throughout the construction industry.
Stay tuned—we’re paving the way for a more sustainable, energy-efficient future, one home at a time.
Watch this recording to gain more insights into the project and the PEER initiative
Visit our project page to explore updates and progress