Ontario’s best Green Builders were recognized Feb. 22 at the EnerQuality Awards Gala (EQ Awards) in Vaughan. More than 200 industry peers gathered to share concepts and accolades to move towards a more energy conscious future, EnerQuality said in a news release.
“Advancing energy-efficient techniques and tools are huge priorities in the building sector to continue to improve healthy living conditions, fight climate change and minimize unnecessary spending,” EnerQuality president Corey McBurney said in a statement. “The EnerQuality Housing Innovation Forum and Awards help to connect builders with the innovation they need to meet their design goals as well as spotlight the change makers who are effecting policies and driving standards towards a shared goal of Net Zero housing.”
Among the biggest attractions of the Innovation Forum, which took place ahead of the awards presentation, was the keynote from MaRS senior adviser and CBC guest, Tom Rand, where guests heard tangible solutions to combat climate change including his stance on pricing carbon and how sharing a new story of clean energy abundance has the power to engage the public and inspire action.
The highly competitive Innovation Gauntlet rounded out the day before the official award ceremony began, with IBC Technologies Inc. being named the winner for their newest innovation – IBC Better Boilers.
“The IBC Better Boiler product is a forward thinking, adaptable technology with integration to smart homes,” said Shaun Joffe, executive director of sustainability and building sciences at Great Gulf and judge of the Innovation Gauntlet participants. “This is a truly unique product and was a clear leader in this year’s submissions.”
The EQ Awards included special designations to highlight industry leaders, including:
2017 Hall of Fame Nominee: Larry Brydon, Cricket Energy’s vice-president, business development.
Brydon has been in the HVAC distribution and energy services market for more than 25 years. A past chair of Sustainable Buildings Canada and the Toronto chapter of the Canada Green Building Council, he currently serves on the board of directors for the Canadian Efficiency Alliance, the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE), Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC), and EnerQuality. Among his many achievements, he led the Enbridge and Union Gas’s Savings by Design program. This initiative has participated in over 200 low-rise, and 50 high rise developer design charrettes where they shared energy-efficient design alternatives resulting in 15 to 25 per cent energy improvement over the Ontario Building Code.
2017 Leader of the Year – Doug Tarry, Doug Tarry Custom Homes Ltd.
After winning the inaugural Net Zero Builder Award from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, his Project Hope, a fundraising event that was the first time a Net Zero home was built in just three days, raised funds for the family of the late Johnny Nooren, a building inspector from St. Thomas. The project won the 2017 Prestige Award from the Ontario Home Builders’ Association for project of the year –low rise, and the trailer for the accompanying documentary was seen by more than 10,000 in movie theatres in Ontario.
Tarry led his team of builders to receive the 2016 EQ Builder Achievement Award and now holds the 2017 title of Leader of the Year for propelling the company’s holistic Net Zero housing concepts with simple controls designed to allow homeowners to save money while living in a healthy environment.
Impact Award – Arista Homes Ltd.
Arista Homes Ltd. received this award, introduced in 2016 to recognize a builder’s
significant voluntary progress in reducing carbon emission and outstanding achievements through energy efficient and sustainability practices.
“Green initiatives and ENERGY STAR participation have become staples of our building practices and we remain committed to continuing to improve our building practices and to lead by example,” says Franco Crispino, vice-president of sales and marketing. Arista Homes has enrolled more than 1,200 ENERGY STAR homes since the construction of its first multi-phase ENERGY STAR community in 2009.
Other 2017 EQ Award winners included:
Partner Award: Enbridge Gas Distribution, Union Gas, Owens Corning, Enbridge Savings By Design Award, Remington Homes.
Building Innovation Low-Rise: Great Gulf Homes Ltd
Building Innovation Mid/High-Rise: Times Group Corporation
ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder of the Year (Small volume): sean.ca (Sean Mason Homes)
ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder of the Year (Mid volume): Remington Homes
ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder of the Year: (Large volume): The Minto Group
ENERGY STAR® Champion of the Year: Jacqueline Collier, Tamarack Homes
Best Green Marketing Campaign: Doug Tarry Custom Homes Ltd
R-2000 Home Builder of the Year: RND Construction
Net Zero Home Builder of the Year: Reid’s Heritage Homes
Evaluator of the Year: Angela Bustamante, Building Knowledge
Builder Achievement Award: Shaun Joffe, Great Gulf Homes Ltd.
Ontario Green Builder of the Year: Sifton Properties Ltd.