City of Vancouver Home

Your new home

If you're building a new home you'll want to make sure it's as energy efficient as possible so you can keep your energy bills under control for years to come. Here are some options you should consider when building your new home:

Follow the City of Vancouver Green Homes Program

The Green Homes Program explains changes to the Vancouver Building By-law as it affects all new one-and two-family homes built in Vancouver. With these changes, new homeowners can save up to 30% on their energy bills, use less water, generate less GHGs (greenhouse gases) and enjoy healthier places to live, work and play.

Get an EnerGuide Audit

As of Sept. 5, 2008 the City of Vancouver requires that all new homes constructed in the city require an EnerGuide audit for new homes. Click here for a list of certified energy advisors. These advisors can not only provide builders with the energy audits they require to meet code, but are also valuable resource for advice on how to build more energy efficient homes. An energy advisor should be retained in the planning and design stages of new home construction for maximum benefit.

Go for Built Green

Built Green offers home builders and buyers in Alberta and BC a list of energy saving options to include in their new homes. Home construction is categorized according to Bronze, Silver or Gold levels of energy efficiency, depending on how many of these options are implemented, which in turn determines the resulting EnerGuide rating of the home. A Bronze home has an EnerGuide rating of 72 to 74, a Silver home, 75 to 76 and a Gold home ranges from 77 and up.

Have a Power Smart New Home

The Power Smart New Home program is designed to maximize the energy efficiency of new homes by requiring that they include energy upgrades such as extra insulation, better heating methods and improved water and lighting systems. Once the Power Smart New Home Technical Standard has been approved, the home builder will arrange for an on-site EnerGuide evaluation through BC Hydro.

Learn more about LEED building

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) plans to launch a Canadian version of the LEED® for Homes rating system in the Fall 2008. There is growing demand for a residential version of LEED in Canada and for a national green rating system for housing.

Our local chapter, the Cascadia Green Building Council promotes the design and operation of buildings in BC, Oregon, Washington and Alaska that demonstrate environmental responsibility and profitability while ensuring healthy places to live, work and learn.

Consider an R-2000 Home

An R-2000 home is a more comfortable, healthier, technically-advanced and environmentally responsible place to live. R-2000 builders are specially trained and receive certification from the Government of Canada. Not only that, the federal government certifies every R-2000 home, based on a thorough quality assurance process. Whether a builder or a home buyer, it's worth your while to understand the benefits of building to the R-2000 Standard.

Net-zero home

solar

Les and Linda Moncrieff will soon be living in one of 15 net-zero energy homes in Canada built under the CMHC’s Equilibrium Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative.  After a fire claimed their home, the Moncrieffs faced some tough decisions.  In the end, these homeowners decided that long term energy savings would more than make up for the 15% higher building cost associated with this energy efficient and environmentally friendly home. 

Once completed, Harmony House will be the Lower Mainland’s first net-zero house!  Photovoltaic panels will supply all the electrical energy needs of the home, while their excess green energy will be fed into the power grid.   Some other green features planned for Harmony House are indigenous plants, rainwater capture, low toxicity interior finishes and materials made from recycled content. We’re excited for the Moncrieffs, who are sure to love their new green home (not to mention their utility bills).