As you research the components of your next home build you may run into questions about the impact your home will make on the environment. Keeping check with your environmental footprint while incorporating healthy, comfortable living is becoming increasingly more common with homeowners today. Because of advances in technology, new homes in Edmonton and St. Albert can easily be made to act more efficiently and include long-term cost savings on your water, electricity and gas bills. These significant changes can be hard to spot and not necessarily seen on the surface. Built Green® Canada offers certifications that provide homeowners with assurance that their home can be built responsibly, with durable materials that have a lower environmental impact.
What is Built Green®?
Built Green® works with a network of home builders that are committed to producing smarter, more responsible and healthier homes. Through the efficient use of building materials and processes, homes are able to have longer lifespans with lower maintenance costs.
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Their primary purpose is to encourage practices and products that:
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Built Green® homes are Certified to Built Green standards and integrate the EnerGuide label through Natural Resources Canada. They work with many divisions of community development from new home builders to community developers and provide a set of guidelines for responsible sustainability.
How does the certification benefit Kanvi home owners?
Optimizing your custom home to a Built Green® standard will lower your operating costs over time by utilizing efficient technologies such as water-saving toilets and low-flow showers. Building homes with options for CFL and LED lighting, timers and motion sensors, and whole home automation can help with your electrical efficiency.
Less temperature variation can be seen in new homes because they can be created to be more airtight. Superior ventilation can increase your respiratory and immune system by removing lingering odors and unwanted VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Options for Low or Zero VOC paints may also be considered to meet the Built Green® criteria. Asthma and allergies can be drastically improved with the increased air quality.
Being Built Green® certified can increase the resale value of your home because of the energy efficiencies. Custom home builders in Edmonton or St.Albert using durable practices and products ensure that homes will not need substantial renovations every five years. By incorporating engineered lumber, parts of your home can be warp-free and compliment durable exterior features such as 30 year shingles.
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association has stated that custom homes with green certification sell for close to 10% more on average compared to the industry standard. Energy efficiency is an attractive feature and potential buyers will appreciate the utility savings that your home may offer.
Homes that are certified are also automatically eligible for a partial mortgage rebates through Genworth or the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC).
What are the requirements?
The program concentrates on seven areas (that are awarded points for each division) in order to meet the criteria of becoming a Built Green® home. These are categories such as:
- Envelope and energy systems
- Materials and methods
- Indoor air quality
- Ventilation
- Waste management
- Water management
- Business practices
As an example, for Envelope and Energy Systems require a minimum amount of points from their product catalogue, depending on which tier of sustainability you would like to meet. To meet a gold tier, there are a minimum of 35 points to reach. The program identifies specific aspects to the build that count toward the total point score. For example, replacing exterior wood sheathing with insulating sheathing and structurally required metal bracing will award 2 points. A list of approved products will usually be accompanied to make the process straightforward and easy to adhere to.
It is important to remember that each home is subject to a different set of criteria or checklist depending on the location, size and orientation. At Kanvi, we’re able to ensure that your home’s requirements are met and provide effective alternatives that meet and exceed the recommendations. We have incorporated items such as efficient hot water tanks and increased insulation factors to provide higher R-values in attics, frost and exterior walls. There are many features on our specification that currently meet the criteria and include products such as efficient low-flow Kohler® plumbing and active HRV systems found in every Kanvi home.
Contact us today to find out how we can create your Built Green® certified Kanvi home.
