ANITA MURRAY, OTTAWA CITIZEN.

Minto Communities is now building five of the country’s most energy-efficient homes in its Arcadia community in Kanata.

The project hopes to make these high-performance abodes, which have been typically within reach of wealthy buyers, available to the average homeowner. The homes will produce as much energy from a renewable source as they consume in a year.

“The energy efficiency of homes built in Ontario has improved significantly over the years,” says Alison Minato, Minto’s vice-president of sustainability. “We are now at a point where net zero energy homes … are within reach and we want to see how our customers respond.”

The project is a joint effort of Natural Resources Canada, Owens Corning Canada and select builders across the country, with support from the building industry.

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