Affordable Housing Gets Free Green Building Recognition

Affordable housing projects in Canada built to sustainable standards are set to get free green building recognition under a new initiative of the Canada Green Building Council (CGBC).

Announcing the Affordable Green Housing Program as part of Earth Day celebrations on April 23, the CGBC said charitable building projects will receive free registration and certification administered by the Council under the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

The first development to take advantage of the new program is the Sir Sam Steele project, a group of 32 homes built by the Manitoba branch of charitable housing provider Habitat for Humanity in conjunction with local LEED Canada for Homes Provider prairieHOUSE Performance, Inc.

Aimed at low income families, the homes include a building envelope designed for maximum insulation and air-tightness, drain water heat recovery and high performance heating and ventilation systems which are expected to save up to 30 per cent per year in energy and water costs.

Completed over three years, these homes are now fully occupied and have become the first under an affordable housing program in Canada to achieve LEED Gold status.

Ken McIntyre, manager of communications for Habitat for Humanity’s Winnipeg affiliate, says building energy efficient homes is not only an expectation from an environmental perspective but an imperative to make affordable homes less expensive to occupy.

“We are in the day and age of ‘green’ and being eco-friendly, so that was one of our mandates,” McIntyre said. “The other thing is that we are in the business of building affordable homes for families, and we want to make them even more affordable.”

CGBC president and CEO Thomas Mueller agreed, adding that green developments offer better indoor air quality, protecting residents health and reducing health care costs.

“Safe and affordable housing is a fundamental right for all Canadians, but we believe that this should be taken a step further” Mueller says. “By offering these free certifications, it is our small way of helping to ensure that all Canadians have access to housing that is affordable and sustainable.”

In its first year, the CGBC says it will offer 100 spots under the new program, with that number to be reviewed annually.

By Andrew Heaton

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