Canadian Mortgage News

January 2009 National News Archive

Laebon CHESS EQuilibrium™ Demonstration Home Officially Opens in Red Deer Albert

RED DEER, Alberta, January 16, 2009 — Today, the Government of Canada announced the official opening of the Laebon Canadian Housing Energy Sustainable Solutions (CHESS) demonstration home, an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly home in Red Deer Alberta. The CHESS project is the third CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration home to open in Alberta, and the sixth across Canada.

The home was built by Laebon Homes as part of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative, which encourages builders and developers to build the next generation of sustainable housing in Canada.

“The Government of Canada is proaud to work with forward-looking private-sector partners to develop such innovative homes. We congratulate Laebon Homes on its demonstration home,” said the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and Minister Responsible for CMHC. “The Laebon CHESS home gives people in this community an opportunity to see first-hand how we can create beautiful, healthy homes, conserve energy and resources, and reduce pollutant emissions.”

EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes are designed to be healthy to live in, produce as much energy as they consume on an annual basis, and have very low environmental impact. To achieve this, the Laebon CHESS Project combines state-of-the-art energy-efficient design and construction techniques with renewable energy production.

“This is an exciting time for homebuyers. The housing market is changing, being justifiably pulled toward greater energy efficiency and responsibility to our environment,” said Gord Bontje, President of Laebon Homes. “The Laebon CHESS Project is our response to that challenge, a revolutionary laboratory for testing the principles behind NetZero housing in a reasonably hostile climate. This innovative opportunity has allowed us to showcase healthy, green technology which will benefit future generations.“

The Laebon CHESS Project is one of 12 projects that won CMHC’s national EQuilibrium™ sustainable housing competition in 2007 and are now turning their design concepts into real homes. All EQuilibrium™ projects will be open for public and professional audiences for demonstration, and then monitored for performance by CMHC for one year, once occupied.

CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative provides a new approach to housing in Canada, representing a fundamental change in the way Canadians think about their homes. It strives to balance our housing needs with those of the environment. It brings together — under one roof — the principles of occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency, renewable energy production, resource and water conservation, and reduced environmental impact.

CMHC has worked closely with many stakeholders to develop and deploy EQuilibrium™. In particular, CMHC has collaborated closely with Natural Resources Canada which has contributed substantial research and development expertise and resources to advancing the initiative.

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant, healthy communities and cities across the country.

For more information, call 1-800-668-2642.

News source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)