New homes take the LEED

Burlington couple are first to be certified

By Lisa Fattori Special to Sun Media

Barry Imber and Leslie Akse are just a few weeks from moving into one of Canada’s first LEED homes. The Burlington couple’s house meets the stringent criteria of the new LEED Canada for Homes program, which was launched in early March. Built by Branthaven Homes, the Imber Akse house was part of the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) pilot project, to deliver a Canadian version of the standard for the low-rise residential market, a standard that is recognized as the pinnacle of green certification.

“When the clients approached us and described the sustainable home that they wanted, all of the features fell within the LEED standard,” says Steve Stipsits, president of Branthaven Homes. “We approached the CaGBC and the house became part of the pilot project. This house meets LEED Gold certification and it may even achieve Platinum, which is the highest certification you can receive.” The Imber Aske home replaces a dilapidated house, in an infill site in Burlington. Branthaven Homes had to first demolish the existing house and successfully divert 90% of materials for recycling. The home’s mechanical systems include geothermal heating and grey water recycling. For passive heating and cooling, windows have overhangs, to shield out the sun in summer and to attract heat in winter, when the sun is lower on the horizon. The house has ample windows for natural light and all windows open to allow breezes to flow through the home.

“The more breeze you have, the less need there is for air conditioning,” Stipsits says. “Even some of the interior walls have windows, so that a breeze can pass easily from room to room.” More stringent than the Energy Star for New Homes standard, LEED Canada for Homes takes into consideration criteria above and beyond a home’s energy efficiency. Materials used and percentages of waste, water efficiency, indoor air quality, innovation and design and the location of a home in relation to public transportation and accessibility to amenities all earn a project credits for LEED certification. Awareness and education is a key component, and the Imber Akse home even has a dedicated website (www.imberaskehouse.ca ), which chronicles details about the home’s construction and its small environmental footprint. The LEED Canada for Homes program applies to single-family homes and multi-family buildings of up to three stories. In Whitby,

Liza Communities’ Shorelands is Canada’s first LEED townhome community. A total of 227 homes feature a combination high-velocity natural gas heating systems, thermal fixed-glass low-E windows and living fences that have greenery growing against interwoven lattices.

“With the expansion of green certification programs, people have become a lot more inquisitive about the environmental features of their homes, and the community at large,” says Nargus Mansouri, director of sales and marketing for Liza Communities. “Shorelands showcases sustainable living in a townhome community. Purchasers love the LEED designation, but they are also impressed with the look of the community – its overall design, the architecture of the buildings and the layout of floor plans.” Various green certification programs, including Energy Star for New Homes and GreenHouse, provide builders with several options as they move to develop more sustainable communities in the new homes market. LEED Canada for Homes’ holistic approach to home construction delivers more than 30 to 40%savings in energy consumption, which saves homeowners in energy costs and improves the environment. As demand for the program grows and awareness increases, builders will be encouraged to offer this option to the home buying public.

“At the Chapter level, our members are green building specialists across southern Ontario, with a membership that is 1,700 strong,” says Lyle Shipley, executive director for the Greater Toronto Chapter of CaGBC. “For years, people have been looking to LEED, as the next logical step in green certification, and now Toronto homebuilders have that option.”