September 18, 2012
SWIFT CURRENT, SASKATCHEWAN - David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Swift Current and Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the first home in western Canada built to the 2012 R-2000 Standard. The R-2000 Standard is designed to lower homeowners' energy costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Our Government is committed to new standards that promote energy efficiency and save Canadian families money," said Mr. Anderson. "The successful cooperation with industry to continuously improve residential building standards has resulted in this new milestone in home energy efficiency."
Homes built to the 2012 R-2000 standard will be 50 percent more energy-efficient than homes built to the 2005 R-2000 standard. This new standard also includes measures to reduce water consumption and improve insulation and ventilation.
"R-2000 continues to play a pivotal role in making Canada a world leader in energy-efficient housing technology," said Ron Olson, President of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. "The 2012 R-2000 Standard is an important milestone that will keep the Canadian home building industry at the forefront of building homes that are better for the environment, better for our communities and better for the people who live in them."
Over the past 30 years, R-2000 has been important in encouraging, recognizing and supporting innovation in energy efficiency for residential housing. All R-2000 homes are constructed by licensed and trained builders; evaluated, inspected and tested by independent, third-party inspectors; and certified by the Government of Canada.
The Canadian Home Builders' Association, representing the residential construction industry with more than 8,000 member firms across the country, has been an active participant in the delivery of the R-2000 initiative since its inception.
The new 2012 R-2000 Standard was published by Natural Resources Canada in February 2012, and all R-2000 builders have been following the new specifications as of July 2012.
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R-2000 Homes: Continuing a Proud Tradition
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