Ottawa’s housing industry has fielded a strong suite of finalists for the 2019 EnerQuality Awards, with competitors in ten categories.
The current awards, which cover the 2019 period, were originally scheduled for the spring but were postponed because of the pandemic.
RND Construction, Minto Communities and Corvinelli Homes are up for a total of nine trophies in the awards, which honour energy-efficient building and related professional expertise across Ontario.
As well, the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association is one of three finalists for the HBA (Home Builder Association) Award.
RND, a veteran green builder and renovator and a regular award winner at the local and provincial levels, including EnerQuality, is up for Builder Achievement, Champion of the Year and Ontario Green Builder of the Year — Low Rise.
The time for energy-efficient homes is now, says RND president Roy Nandram. “The building code is going that way. The (federal) government is pushing for Net Zero homes by 2030.” (A Net Zero home is one that produces as much energy — for example, through solar power — as it consumes).
“New homes are getting better, but the environment is in a disaster, so we need older homes to be upgraded, but it’s not an easy sell,” he adds. “We need to take a serious look at the environment and every builder needs to do that, but they’re fighting costs.”
Minto Communities, which builds in several cities but is still headquartered in Ottawa, is a finalist for five awards: Building Innovation in both the low- and high-rise categories, Ontario Green Builder of the Year — High Rise, EnerQuality’s Energy Star Builder (large volume), and Net Zero Builder (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Net Zero Dream Home, which won four awards at last year’s housing design awards in Ottawa).
Corvinelli Homes is competing in the Energy Star Builder — Small/Custom Builder category. The company, like RND and Minto, has won green awards in the past.
Being a finalist, “is really nice; it’s a ‘thank you,’” says owner John Corvinelli. “It demonstrates we’re at the top of our game… Every home I’ve built since 2004 has been an Energy Star home.” (An Energy Star home is typically 20 per cent more energy efficient than one built just to code.)
“I leave money on the table to build better,” he adds. “My buildings last, and the (energy) bills are very low.”
There are 17 categories in this year’s EnerQuality Awards as well as the People’s Choice Award. The general public can vote in the People’s Choice category, which has six finalists, including RND Construction and Minto Communities.
Winners will be announced Sept. 22.
Full list of finalists for the 2019 EnerQuality Awards here.
