Sustainable Housing Development

Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg (HFHW) is reducing the environmental footprint resulting from the many houses it builds. The Sir Sam Steele site is the first of its kind, as all homes built to date were constructed to the Power Smart Gold Standard and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Level. As well, there are some units that may obtain the LEED Platinum Level.

The LEED for Homes Rating System is points based, measuring the overall performance of a home in eight categories: innovation & design process; location & linkages; sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials & resources; indoor air quality; and, awareness & education. Points are accumulated in each category by designing, building and using materials that lessen the impact on the environment. There are four levels of LEED recognition: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

HFHW is pursuing green building to ensure that new homes will always be affordable for low income working families.  With the continual rising costs of energy, water, building materials and land, innovation is the only way to ensure sustainability for future Habitat homes.

To meet this goal, HFHW has established the Integrated Project Team. The team combines the skill and knowledge of experts from Friesen Tokar Architects, AECOM Engineering, McGowan Russell Landscape Architects, Furnasman, energy conservation, water conservation and air quality consultants, and HFHW staff.

The first 11 homes at the Sir Sam Steele site (a 12th home is underway) are built to the Power Smart Gold Standard and consistent with LEED requirements for the Gold and possibly Platinum levels (certification cannot be obtained until the landscaping is completed this spring).  

Intricate testing is done to determine if these criteria are achieved. For example, the blower door test uses a fan to vary internal and external air pressure which forces outside air through any existing leaks into the home. The air tightness is then based on the number of air exchanges required over a set period of time. The less air exchanges, required the more air tight the home, which leads to better energy efficiency.

Most new homes built in Winnipeg achieve a rate of 1.7 to 1.8 exchanges per hour. To achieve Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Gold status, a house must rate 1.5 or less exchanges per hour. The Habitat homes built over the last few years met this standard, but the first five houses tested at the Sir Sam Steele site have rates of 0.6 to 1.0, which are as low as Manitoba Hydro Power Smart has ever tested.

More testing will be completed this spring regarding some of the LEED aspects of these homes, but the initial results are extremely positive. The planning from the Integrated Project Team and implementation by the dedicated HFHW construction department staff, volunteers and contractors is exceeding initial expectations.

Building continues at the Sir Sam Steele site this spring, maintaining these energy efficiency standards with two more houses and 18 side-by-side units located on the south side of the property facing Nairn Avenue. By late 2011, 32 Habitat families will call the area home.