It’s worth a bundle, and it can save you a bundle too.
The IWK lottery home now open for viewing in the Ravines of Bedford South is holding quite the distinction as the Canadian Home Builders’ Association named it the first EnviroHome in Canada for 2009. It’s also just one of 10 for the country so far this year.
To receive this tag the house had to meet a broad range of technical and environmental criteria, and be certified to the R-2000 standard, a Canada-wide program that promotes better built, energy-efficient, healthy houses.
The home, located at 26 Worthington Place, is valued at about $1.1 million, but has many environmental innovations that, if all used properly, will result in an average monthly energy cost of $200 per month for regular consumption. Not bad for a house with 5,000 square-feet of living space.
“If you compare this house with others its size, you’d probably expect to pay between $400 and $600 a month in energy costs,” said Cresco’s Martin Livingston, the lead designer for the house. “I’m in a 1,800-square foot townhouse and I’m paying over $200 a month in energy costs. And this is over twice the size of that.”
The house was constructed using state-of-the-art green features, including a solar pre-heating system and “grey water” recycling system. It also sports natural light tubes that provide lighting throughout the home.
“I think it’s the way housing is going to be going, because energy is not going to get any cheaper,” Livingston said. “Everybody realizes it’s getting more and more expensive to maintain a home, and builders have to start to address some of these issues.”
