Grey County is launching a voluntary program to recognize and celebrate developers who choose to build energy efficient climate resilient homes.
County Council supported the program on March 26. The program will run in collaboration with Dufferin and Wellington counties, pending the support of their councils, to create a consistent framework for developers in the larger region. The Green Development Program is expected to launch late this spring.
Grey County Warden Andrea Matrosovs says in a statement, “This new voluntary program is about working together to celebrate developers who are choosing to build energy efficient, climate resilient homes in Grey County. It supports the goals of our Going Green in Grey climate action plan while recognizing that sustainable building can also deliver real, long-term savings for homeowners.” She adds, “We’re pleased to have designed a flexible program that will recognize and celebrate high-performance building already happening in our communities, and we look forward to seeing this program grow.”
The County says the green development program will initially focus on development projects of ten or more units, though developments of any size can apply for recognition. The program includes three key components: metrics, recognition and capacity building. For each metric or sustainability feature incorporated, the project would achieve a certain number of points. Based on their total number of points, the project would be recognized at the bronze, silver, or gold level.
Applicants can choose from a range of metrics reflecting regional priorities, grouped into three themes: natural environment, community and transportation, and built environment.
These themes include considerations such as tree canopy, affordability, accessibility, stormwater management, park access, electric vehicle readiness, heat pumps, water efficiency, solar readiness, construction waste and many more.
Proposed recognition includes project profiles on county websites, supporting marketing materials and the creation of an awards program.
According to the County, the green development program was created from best-practice research, existing building credential programs, similar municipal programs, and input from the community and development industry. Developers and home builders from the three participating counties were invited to information sessions last year.
In collaboration with Georgian College and Sustainable Waterloo Region, the Counties are also looking to better understand what the industry is already doing and what they need which it says will help Grey County design programs and other supports to make it easier to integrate key features into new builds.