Toronto Sun
Friday, June 27, 2008
Byline: MICHAEL COLLINS-WILLIAMS, Special to Sun Media
Section: New Homes & Condos

Today's home-building industry does not subscribe to the old adage, famously uttered by Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green."

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of tremendous innovation and technological advances in home building, and Ontario builders are offering consumers an incredible array of choices in green products and programs.

Today's consumers are more interested than ever before in greener housing options. To meet that demand, the EnerQuality Corporation, which administers the Energy Star program, is introducing a new green building program for home builders constructing low- and mid-rise homes.

"What we've designed is a practical and affordable green housing initiative that we call GreenHouse Certified Construction," says Corey McBurney, managing director of EnerQuality.

GreenHouse is a complementary program to EnergyStar; however, it takes a more holistic approach by going beyond energy efficiency into areas of water conservation, indoor air quality and resource management, which is why McBurney suggests that this new certification promotes "all things green."

Expect to see the GreenHouse-certified homes hit the market this fall.

For homebuyers, a new home that is built to GreenHouse standards will deliver some significant advantages. One key advantage will be a reduction in greenhouse gas production by up to three tonnes annually per household. When compared to a home built to Ontario Building Code standards, a typical family will use up to 30% less energy and up to 25% less water in a GreenHouse-certified home.

Another advantage of a GreenHouse-certified home will be the attention paid to resource management during the construction of the home. In fact, it will typically use about 15% fewer raw materials, such as wood and other forest products and aggregates, and produce dramatically less construction waste.

The final component of a GreenHouse-certified home will be the indoor environment. Builders of these homes will undertake such measures as comprehensive moisture management and improved ventilation and filtration techniques. Builders will also use a better selection of materials in the home that will reduce the levels of hazardous indoor contaminants and contribute to a fresher and healthier indoor environment compared to a home built to the specifications of the Ontario Building Code.

There are compelling benefits in the new GreenHouse program for new-home buyers to consider. Energy savings will translate directly into a reduction of one-third on heating and energy bills, which means more money in your pocket at the end of every month. Improved indoor air quality will contribute to overall health and assist to reduce environmentally triggered conditions such as asthma. Perhaps most important for homebuyers, however, is the satisfaction in knowing that they've made a substantial contribution to reduce their ecological footprint and conserve Canada's precious natural resources.

If you are in the market to purchase a home, you should always consider that new homes are, in most cases, much more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than older homes (unless those homes have undergone substantial renovations in the past couple of years).

Scott Reid, vice-president of Reid's Heritage Homes, which was the 2007 Ontario Green Builder of the Year, notes, "In this day of high energy prices, GreenHouse represents, in a significant way, that our industry is taking this seriously and that we are mindful of consumers and their need for energy-efficient housing".

It's always important to ask your new-home builder what kind of green features are included in the home or available as upgrades. It's also a good idea to inquire whether the home is enrolled in a green program that is validated by a third-party organization such as the EnerQuality Corporation. And last, but certainly not least, with the launch of a new cutting-edge green initiative, be sure to ask your new-home builder about GreenHouse.

Michael Collins-Williams is director of policy at the Ontario Home Builders' Association.