INSIDE Oshawa - 2009, 8th Edition

New homes in Oshawa are setting the standard for green building across Ontario. ENERGY STAR® qualified homes are being constructed all over Oshawa. These houses incorporate a number of energy efficient features and are approximately 25 per cent greener than houses built to the minimum provincial building code. 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 enrol 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 certifi cations 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. The ENERGY STAR® mark is administered and promoted in Canada by Natural Resources Canada