Green building in Canada

Canada has implemented the "R-2000" in 1982 to promote better than building code construction to increase energy efficiency and promote sustainability. An optional feature of the R-2000 home program is the EnerGuide rating service. This service is available across Canada, allows home builders and home buyers to measure and rate the performance of their homes, and confirm that those specifications have been met. Some Canadian provinces are considering mandatory use of the service for all new homes.

Regional initiatives based on R-2000 include Energy Star for New Homes, Built Green, Novoclimat, GreenHome, Power Smart for New Homes, and GreenHouse.

The Building Owners and Managers Association manages the BOMA BESt[1] (Building Environment Standards) certification, replacing their Go Green and Go Green Plus programs.

Established in December 2002, the Canada Green Building Council obtained an exclusive licence in July 2003 from the United States Green Building Council to adapt the LEED rating system to Canadian circumstances. The path for LEED's entry to Canada had already been prepared by BREEAM-Canada, an environmental performance assessment standard released by the Canadian Standards Association in June 1996. The American authors of LEED-NC 1.0 had borrowed heavily from BREEAM-Canada in the outline of their rating system; and in the assignment of credits for performance criteria. The Canadian LEED for Homes rating system was released on March 3, 2009.

In March 2006, Canada's first green building point of service, Light House Sustainable Building Centre,[2] opened on Granville Island in the heart of Vancouver, BC. A destination for the public and professionals alike, the Light House resource centre is funded by Canadian government departments and businesses to help implement green building practices and to recognize the economic value of green building as a new regional economy.

Notable green buildings

See also

Building Green Edmonton Home Builders

References

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