Mayor Karen Farbridge joined representatives from Reid’s Heritage Homes, Sloot Construction and Terra View Homes today to officially launch the City of Guelph’s Blue Built Home program – a new water-efficiency standard and rebate program for new homes in Guelph.
Under the program, newly constructed homes are certified according to three water efficiency standards: Bronze, Silver or Gold. Included in every home is an approved set of high-quality fixtures and appliances designed and third-party tested to save water and reduce utility bills. Blue Built Silver homes also include a greywater reuse system, which reclaims and purifies water from showers and baths to flush toilets. At the Gold level, homes feature a rainwater harvesting system that collects, stores, and purifies rainwater for use in toilet flushing, outdoor landscaping and gardening.
A Blue Built Home Bronze uses 24 per cent less water than a home built to the Ontario Building Code Standard, based on a household of three people, representing approximately 293 bathtubs full of water. At the Silver and Gold levels, homeowners could reduce their water consumption by as much as 54 per cent – the equivalent of 651 bathtubs full of water. In addition to their savings on water utility bills, Blue Built Home buyers qualify for a one-time rebate of up to $2,460 from the City of Guelph.
The launch was held at the site of Guelph’s first Blue Built Home community, The Enclave at Waterford. Built by Reid’s Heritage Homes, the community features 28 condominiums that meet the Blue Built Bronze standard with the option to upgrade to Silver or Gold.
Two other local builders are participants in the Blue Built Home program. Sloot Construction built the first Blue Built Home Silver, the 2011 Rotary Dream Home at 45 Sweeney Drive. Terra View Homes constructed the first Blue Built Home Bronze, a model home at 2 Amsterdam Crescent in the Arkell Springs community.
“I want to thank the three local builders who are participating in the City’s Blue Built Home program,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge. “This is another example of this community’s tremendous commitment to water conservation – a commitment that, over the past decade, has helped our community reduce water consumption, even as our population has grown, which has sheltered our existing customers from the need to fund expensive new infrastructure.”
Andy Oding, Reid’s Heritage Homes said, “We have been very fortunate to be involved in the collaborative development of this Water Conservation Program with the City and other Industry Partners. The Blue Built Home program delivers REAL metrics, specifically real resource reduction, real savings AND advanced comfort to home owners.”
The City of Guelph administers the Blue Built Home program, which was developed in consultation with local builders. The Blue Built Home program was a recommendation of the City’s 2009 Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy.
As one of Canada’s largest communities solely reliant on groundwater for its drinking water supply, Guelph has implemented water conservation strategies to ensure the ongoing sustainability of its water resources. The Blue Built Home program complements other initiatives including the Royal Flush Toilet Rebate, Smart Wash Washing Machine Rebate, Greywater Reuse Rebate, Home Humidifier Rebate, and Outside Water Use Program.
For full details on the Blue Built Home program, please visit bluebuilthome.ca/guelph or contact a participating Tarion-registered home builder.