New homes in Oshawa are setting the standard for green building across Ontario

ENERGY STAR® qualified homes are being constructed all over Oshawa. ENERGY STAR qualified homes incorporate a number of energy efficient features and are approximately 25 per cent greener than houses built to the minimum provincial building code. Oshawa-based builder set the trend in 2005 when they built the first ENERGY STAR qualified home in Canada. Local ENERGY STAR builders include Brookfield Homes, Finefield Homes, Great Gulf Homes and Jeffery Homes, as well as Marshall Homes and Durham Custom Homes who both offer additional green options.

A Marshall Homes house on Copperfield Drive has been designed to be the ultimate example of green-friendly architecture and technology. The House of the Future, one of the first of its kind, meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards set out by the Canada Green Building Council and exceeds ENERGY STAR ratings. It features a grey water recycling system, grass driveway, programmable thermostat and a heat recovery ventilator.

Oshawa is also home to Ontario’s first GreenHouse™ certified home. Durham Custom Homes was the first Canadian builder to enroll in the GreenHouse program and is building these green homes at its Kingsway Forest site in Oshawa. To be GreenHouse certified, houses must meet stringent requirements for use of energy, water, air and materials. GreenHouse certifications save homeowners about 30 per cent on their energy bills compared to homes built to Ontario Building Code standards. These homes produce three tonnes less of greenhouse gases annually, produce less construction waste and use 15 per cent less raw materials. Durham Custom Homes was named both “GreenHouse Builder of the Year” and “ENERGY STAR for New Homes Builder” in 2008.

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Shannon McFadyen
Corporate Communications & Marketing Officer
Tel: 905-436-5636, ext. 2591
Cell: 905-926-0063
E-mail: smcfadyen@oshawa.ca
www.oshawa.ca