Planning a house for the next 50 years

Kim Hauner’s electric fleet on Bowen Island

Ten years ago Kim Hauner’s family embarked on a journey to build a new house. Kim had become familiar with e-bikes years earlier, after installing an assist on his mountain bike. It was a remarkable transformation, helping him to leave Bowen and arrive at work in Burnaby within an hour and a half without breaking a sweat. Then the family purchased an electric neighborhood vehicle and discovered the joy of not paying for gasoline. Skip ahead to today, and the Hauners are fully committed to electric transportation assisted by 40 photovoltaic panels.

The Hauner family moved to Bowen Island in 1991, at the time when Kim developed his last residential high-rise. In 1991, Kim needed to focus on his children, so he returned to work at the family business, making ceramic & glass tiles, and spending more time at home.

Now, almost 30 years have gone by, and Kim sees that the community has hardly moved the needle in terms of advancing construction. Homes today look very much like they looked in 1950 when there was the last major push in improving domestic life. True, houses are more massive, and folks install plenty of luxury. Still, in terms of the betterment of humanity, very little has changed.

Kim observes that we continue to develop a great deal of waste — witness the full garbage bins during a building project — with little regard for the generation tasked to deal with it.

Some are starting to understand the challenges that lie ahead. Kim notes, “Our roads are congested, we are frustrated, finally realizing that this is not a hoax, and we should be worried about the future of our children.

“But I see a transformation in the air, and people with vision are waking up. After all, who would have imagined a geek challenging the big three manufacturers of vehicles in North America and stealing their dinner?”

Kim Hauner has made representation to Bowen Island Council regarding Impacts of Electric Vehicle Ownership.