Mandala Homes builds B.C.’s first Energy Star qualified home

Mandala Homes has set a new precedent for green home building.

Energy Star qualified new homes are designed to be approximately 25 per cent more energy efficient than those built to minimum provincial building codes.

“We’ve always been committed to building homes that people will feel good living in. The Energy Star initiative is a great way for us to show that our homes are better for the environment, more comfortable to live in, and cost less to operate than homes built to minimum standards,” said Lars Chose, president of Mandala Homes.

The Energy Star initiative is administered and promoted in Canada by Natural Resources Canada, a federal government agency.

“People are used to looking for the Energy Star symbol when purchasing things like computers and washing machines, and now in B.C. homebuyers can look for Energy Star qualified homes as well,” said Peter Sundberg, executive director of City Green Solutions, a non-profit organization providing expert energy efficiency assistance to builders and third party testing for the Energy Star for New Homes initiative.

“Our home includes many energy saving features, including a high-performance building envelope with R66 ceiling insulation and R34 wall insulation, a domestic hot water system that is three times as efficient as a standard system, a heat recovery ventilator for fresh air with minimal heat loss and multiple Energy Star products, including windows and lights,” said Chose.