Builders are looking for ways to obtain easy credits leading to certification under the LEED environmental rating system. This is an acronym for Leadership In Engineering and Design developed in the U.S. and adopted in 2004 by the Canada Green Building Construction Council.
LEED sets green benchmarks awarding up to 70 points in 6 different categories, including sustainable site development, water conservation , energy efficiency , selection of materials and indoor air quality. From this buildings are ranked in four classes, certified, silver, gold and platinum.
So buyers are going to be hearing more and more about simple improvements the current trend is bike storage which gives them a very easy credit.
Currently developers of L Tower, a 55 storey condo adjacent to Hummingbird Centre are aiming for LEED gold, the 2nd highest class. This will help them to distinguish the building esthetically and environmentally making the building easier to sell as markets will eventually slow from their current pace. Older less environmentally friendly buildings with high maintenance fees will become less desirable.
A Gold LEED designation could amount to a building having a 30% saving on water and energy compared to a conventional building.
The Toronto Community Housing Corp has sights set on LEED gold as well for the new Regent Park development. They are shooting for mixed development with 60% market rated units and green development plus architectural excellence.
An example of items that would gain LEED points would be dual flush toilets that cost $300-$400. more per unit. Kitchen cabinetry would have to be produces with low-emitting adhesives and sealants .. which means getting the manufacturing industries to change their standards.
So builders who courageously pioneer this will pay higher upfront costs. High performance windows, concrete for walls must contain 40% slag a by-product of steel production, low off-gassing carpets. Building for Platinum is much more difficult than gold. The upside is that their buildings will probably be more popular and retain higher values.
One builder in Hamilton building a rental apartment building is using most of the above plus solar heating for hot water, captured rainwater for flushing toilets, low flow fixtures for showers and sinks.
Energy Star appliances and heat recovery ventilation in each units. Meters for monitoring electricity used in each unit. A kill switch so that tenants can turn off all electricity in their unit when they leave the building, wind turbines, a reflective white roof to reduce heat gain and landscaping with native plants that don’t need water. The developer is Robert Manherz who built an off the grid home for himself.
Wow if you were a tenant wouldn’t you love to rent in this building?
To make a 10 storey building with about 84 units efficient enough to merit LEED points will cost about $300,000 but the future savings will be roughly $100,000 per year making the effort well worthwile.
The highest LEE certification at the moment for a mid-rise and highrise residential building is silver. Several more are targeting for platinum
LEED Rating Levels are:
Certified ( 26-32 points)
Silver (33-38 points)
Gold (39-51 points)
Platinum (52-70 points)
Registration – Once a building is registered with the council there must be a years occupancy and certification for it to be deemed as meeting LEEDS targets.
What this means for us as home buyers is a higher standard and quality of construction, lower costs and greater market value retention. Watch out for these new buildings and we will keep you informed on the blog here as they come along. Many builders of course will do the minimum just to get registered. That makes the rating system above important to note.
Hope this helps. Best Aeriol.
