Volume 3 - Program & Project Ideas (PDF - 4.5 - Natural Life Network

Natural Resources Canada – Community Energy Systems
B.2 Going beyond building code requirements
(See also diverse and compact housing).
B.2.1 Energy efficiency for new housing
B.2.1.1 R-2000 energy efficiency for new housing
- Case study: Banff, AB
Banff Housing Corporation built in Banff what is currently the largest R-2000
development in Canada, 21 homes. The project also demonstrates innovations in
alternative development standards.
• R-2000 homes are 40 per cent more efficient than required by building code.
By using less energy, an R-2000 house also produces fewer greenhouse gases
that harm our environment and contribute to climate change.
• Development and zoning standards were changed for future developments,
allowing for more efficient land use within subdivisions to reduce house
prices; the bylaw provides for narrower streets, at grade open parking, and the
elimination of some sidewalks (where trails existed already).
• The higher-density development was built at a lower cost and the savings
were passed on to the consumers and to the community.
Source: ACT. Undated. Alternative Development Standards, Banff Housing Corporation. ACT
grant announcement sheet. http://www.actprogram.com/english/projects/das5.asp. For
additional information, contact the Town of Banff.
-Additional resources
The R-2000 standard for new house construction was developed in collaboration between
the public and private sector in the early 1980s. It sets a standard for energy efficiency in
construction that is regionally sensitive, taking into account local weather conditions. Ten
thousand houses have been built to this standard, and according to Canada’s Action Plan
on Climate Change, R-2000 practices have contributed to a 20 percent improvement in
the energy efficiency of the overall stock of new housing.
For additional information on the R-2000 program, contact the Canadian Home Builders’
Association at (613) 230-3060 www.chba.ca or the Office of Energy Efficiency of
Natural Resources Canada at Housing, Buildings and Regulation Division, Office of
Energy Efficiency, Telephone: (613) 992-9641, fax: (613) 996-3764, E-mail:
r.2000@nrcan.gc.ca Web: www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca
The Yukon Housing Corporation offers reduced-rate mortgage financing for homes built
or upgraded to the Corporation’s energy efficiency standard. Nova Scotia has a program
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