February 16, 2009

SIDIT supports "The Green Dream Home" project.

Kamloops, B.C.  Canadian Home Builders Association Central Interior and Thompson Rivers University awarded CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative.

MP Cathy McLeod and representatives from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) BC and Ottawa announced last Friday that Canadian Home Builders Association Central Interior and Thompson Rivers University were one of three successful submissions in Canada for the second phase of CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiatives in Canada. The CHBA CI and TRU partnership will build an eco-friendly home that is net zero, which means it will generate as much energy as it consumes so that there are no energy costs to the homeowner.

“This Green Dream Home will be our 2010 Training House which will be sold again to the Kamloops YMCA for their annual Lottery fund raiser,” said Doug Wittal (DW Builders), President of CHBA Central Interior. “We are very excited to move forward with this challenge. We have the experience and the knowledge & expertise from the university to complete the project as required. The last three houses we have built have all been ‘Built Green Gold or better’, Doug added. “This is a natural next step for us to pursue.”

At the Launch it was also announced that CHBA CI had been successful at securing a grant of $100,000 from the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust (SIDIT) to offset some of the extra technology and marketing costs to be incurred with this ambitious project.

Luby Pow, CEO of SIDIT said, “SIDIT is very pleased to support the Green Dream Home Project as it encourages the development and usage of energy and environmentally sustainable products and matches hands on training of students with new green technology in home building.”

The CHBA CI and TRU proposal was the strongest one received by CMHC since the inception of the Equilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Project in 2007. The house will be built at the Sun Rivers Golf Resort Community from August 2009 to April 2010 and will be available for tours and visits by the general public & business community for six months following completion.

CHBA-Central Interior is an active residential builder association of 180 members representing the Central Interior region of BC.

For Information contact: Patsy Bourassa, Executive Officer 
Phone: 250- 828- 1844
Email: patsy@chbaci.ca    
www.chbaci.ca