Waste Reduction Week: How buying new saves energy

October 16 to 22 is Waste Reduction Week in Canada, a national movement to build awareness around sustainable and responsible consumption, and encouraging environmentally responsible products and services. While buying a new home can present many benefits, one of our favourites is the energy savings.

Energy-efficiency in home building has advanced a lot over the years, and nowadays it’s the standard new home buyers can come to expect when home shopping. According to the Canadian Home Builders Association, thanks to advances in building techniques and products, homes built now use half the energy as ones built in the 1950s.

Great advances have been made in building products that contribute to the “greening” of Canadian homes. Today’s new homes show clearly that environmental responsibility, energy efficiency and healthy indoor living go hand in hand with comfort, convenience and great design. [Canadian Home Builders Association]

We are proud to work with builders who put extra care and attention into energy-efficiency in their homes, with things like low flow toilets or programmable thermostats. In addition to the green features incorporated into new homes, we designed an entire community with sustainability in mind as well—Saddlestone. The northeast community of Saddlestone is environmentally-friendly and we kept families, culture and sustainability in mind when designing it. Genesis Land actually developed the community of Saddlestone with a fused grid design, which is the first of its kind in Canada. This type of design promotes a pedestrian-friendly, eco-friendly and family-friendly environment balancing efficiency for both vehicles and walking commuters.
Thanks to advances in construction and design, everything from the building materials to the heating systems are more energy-efficient, helping you save money (and the environment). You can also look forward to clean indoor air quality in a new home, as you won’t have to deal with any lingering odours or mould from past owners.
If you are interested in learning about energy savings in brand new homes, check out the builders we work with by browsing our community pages online.