A Commitment to Sustainable Housing and Neighbourhoods
It's up to all of us to make a commitment to make a commitment to sustainability, resource management and being Green. Whether it's by making smart decisions in the products we buy, the cars we drive or ion the homes we live in. Not all homes will be Leed certified but we can all do our part through insulation, energy savings strategies and understanding to maintain and improve the community we live in.
In the following pages you will find information to help you make smart decisions in regards to your home. For more information on Green Real Estate or for a list of green buildings in your neighbourhood contact us at any time.
Featured Green Development
ENVY in North Vancouver
Located at 160 West 3rd Street in Lower Lonsdale Envy will be the first Leed certified residential building in North Vancouver. Developed by Wedgewood Ventures in partnership with the Macron Group of Companies with a vision "to create homes that respect the environment and the surrounding neighbourhood."
Completing in Spring 2008 ENVY will be the place to live on the North Shore for people who place Sustainability and the Environment high on their priority list.
To read ENVY's Green Story Click Here.
Did you know?
ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homes
ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homes provides home and property owners with grants of up to $5,000 to offset the cost of making energy-efficiency improvements. ecoENERGY Retrofit grants apply to a host of measures that reduce energy consumption and provide for a cleaner environment, from increasing insulation to upgrading a furnace.
Only homes that have undergone a residential energy efficiency assessment by an energy advisor licensed by Natural Resources Canada will be eligible for grants.
Detached homes, row housing, duplexes, triplexes and mobile homes on permanent foundations and some small apartment buildings of three storeys or less may qualify for ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homes grants.
The ecoENERGY Retrofit grant is based on the type and number of energy improvements that have been made, and how much the efficiency of the home has been improved. The grant is based on how effective that upgrade is in saving energy, not on the cost of the upgrade.
The maximum grant one can receive per home or multi-unit residential building is $5,000; whereas the total grant amount available to one individual or entity for eligible properties over the life of the program is $500,000. The average grant is expected to be more than $1,000 and will yield an average 30 percent reduction in energy use and costs.
Building a new Home? Read this first:
Sustainable Building Materials
Looking for a good Neighbourhood?
Choosing a neighbourhood with Sustainable Features
Insulating Your House
While previous generations may have been content to live in drafty houses, most people now want comfortable warm houses. A healthy house today is well-sealed, well-insulated and properly ventilated.
A well-insulated house is a bit like dressing for the weather. A wool sweater will keep you warm if the wind is not blowing and it is not raining. On a windy, rainy day, wearing a nylon shell over your wool sweater helps keep you reasonably dry and warm. A house is similar. On the outside, underneath the brick or siding, there is an air barrier that does the same thing as the nylon - it keeps the wind from blowing through. Then there is the insulation (like your sweater) and then a vapor barrier, which helps keep moisture away from the house structure where it can do damage.