In Week 6 of Recycle This House (and week one of my standoff with the trades), I talked about wind energy as a source of renewable and made my pledge to the world to put my Enmax rewards towards their Greenmax program in my efforts to support developments such as wind energy.

This week, I found myself incredibly busy in real estate (which must take precedence over my home greening project, because quite frankly, if I don't pay my bills, I won't have a home to green!) I worked with several buyers this week who were interested in seeing homes in the Built Green community of SunRidge, Canada's first entirely green community. 

Along the way, I again found myself getting an education, this time in the department of Green Built TM homes. There are four levels of Built Green Homes, namely Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Certified. Each home must meet certain specifications in order to qualify for their respective status and the "seal of approval" is achieved through inspection by a Certified Energy Adviser after a blower door test. 

Built Green Rebates: In Lethbridge, owners of a Green Gold Certified Home are eligible for a $3500 rebate from the city while Silver Certified qualifies for a $2500 rebate.

Energy Efficient Mortgages: Owners of a Green Gold or Green Platinum home qualify for an "Energy Efficient Mortgage" where CMHC or Genworth offer a 10% premium refund on mortgage insurance and an ammortization period of up to 35 years. 

Environmentally Friendly: The benefits of buying or building green are plenty and range from Builders striving to use local products in order to cut down on transportation costs and emissions to the increased comfort of a home designed to take advantage of the environment it was built in. 

I personally have a new outlook on Green Built Homes and when I am done greening my current home, there is a very good chance I will embark on the journey of building green.

To see what kept me busy this week, visit me at Lethbridge Real Estate.

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