Minto Communities unveils first net-zero home in Markham

MARKHAM, ONT. — Minto Communities GTA recently unveiled the first net-zero home in Markham’s Union Village master-planned community, a first in Markham and Minto Communities’ first in the GTA.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the home April 21 marked its successful certification by the Canadian Home Builder’s Association (CHBA).

The home was developed in partnership with Metropia. Trade partners who helped design and construct the home include Building Knowledge, Aerobarrier, RN Design and Bluewater Energy. The Union Village master-planned community is currently under construction. To date, 215 homes have been constructed and occupied. A total of 22 net-zero ready homes will be constructed as part of phase 2.

Net-zero homes are designed to produce as much energy as they consume in a year through a variety of highly efficient features which includes a better building envelope with more insulation, triple pane windows, improved air tightness, a dual-fuel air source heat pump system and multi-zoned HVAC.

This first net-zero home is designed to reduce energy consumption by 60 per cent and carbon emissions by 36 per cent. In addition to comfort and efficiency, net-zero homes can protect homeowners from future increases in energy prices, indicates a release.

Net-zero home upgrades were introduced to Union Village in the second phase of sales in April 2022. Due to the reception of the net-zero upgrade packages, Minto Communities included this offering for The Heights of Harmony master-planned community in Oshawa.

In addition to the net-zero upgrade offerings in Markham and Oshawa, Minto Communities has also been progressing steadily on the construction of a community energy geo-exchange system at the North Oak master-planned community in Oakville, states the release, adding geo-exchange systems leverage the consistent and stable temperatures beneath the earth as a source of low-carbon energy, reducing the use of fossil fuels for space heating and cooling by up to 95 per cent. Geothermal field drilling was completed in spring 2022.