By Tom Slade
Already popular in Western Canada, green building is growing in Ottawa. This new process is catching on as businesses realize the potential savings.
“When people hear the building’s going to be running 45, maybe 50 per cent more efficient than the building code, it grabs people’s attention and gets them excited about the project,” says Neil Malhotra, vice-president of Claridge Homes.
Claridge is one of a few Ottawa developers working on green buildings, which are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. With oil prices at record levels, developers can market the fact a building used a green process, he says.
“The cost of energy is going up at high rates today,” says Malhotra. “If it keeps going the way it’s gone the last few months, then having increased efficiency in a house could be a huge saving.”
Claridge’s recent projects include 700 Sussex, which has green roofs, and upcoming homes on the LeBreton Flats, he says.
The new homes may cost a little more for buyers than conventional buildings, but they use about 25 per cent less energy.
“If someone can spend $20 less on utilities, they have $20 more they can spend on their mortgage,” he explains.
Not to be left behind, the Ottawa city council approved a green building policy for future city buildings on Sept. 28.
They hope by getting into the market early they will act as a model for other developments and prove that building environmentally-friendly structures can make sense economically, says Robert Vaillancourt, manager of design and construction for the city.
The policy requires all city buildings to meet a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada rating, he says. LEED Canada has four rating levels: certified, silver, gold and platinum.
To meet the LEED certified rating the city will invest an extra 5 per cent of a building’s cost, says Vaillancourt.
“As the industry becomes more familiar with energy conscience projects and specifically LEED process projects, we will be able to get a higher rating for the same investment,” says Vaillancourt.
But the higher upfront costs are deterring some developers from switching to green building, says Mark Lucuik, corporate lead in green buildings for Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers and Managers.
Hopefully this will change as businesses realize the initial cost is paid back by energy savings and increased productivity, he says.
Green building has increased over the last five years, says Lucuik.
Ottawa used to only have a few green buildings like Mountain Equipment Co-op and the University of Ottawa’s information technology and engineering building.
This year Ottawa has seen green projects – EcoCité, The Currents and the LeBreton Flats – in the residential market, he says.
Government legislation will drive the growth of green building, says Lucuik. City council’s decision is a big step forward for Ottawa.
Unless they are required by policy, many developers might not choose to go green, he says. If they aren’t involved in the operation of a building, they won’t see the savings from costly green technologies and may choose not to use them.
Some higher costs for green building are a result of the process being so new, says Allison Rogers of Canada Post and president of the board for the National Capital Green Building Association.
Many professionals may be involved in green building for the very first time and design time could be a lot longer, she says. As they get used to green building, the time and costs should go down.