Pacesetter Homes Regina Recognized as an Environmental Leader in the Industry

Regina, SK – When you build great homes and offer not just quality construction but also multiple environmentally-friendly features as your standard, it’s not surprising that you’d receive some recognition for your efforts.

In early February, Pacesetter Homes Regina took home the Environmental Leadership in Housing Award (20+ Homes) at the Regina and Region Home Builders’ Association (RRHBA) Master Awards Gala.

The award reflects what many already know – that the business unit is a true leader when it comes to environmentally-conscious homebuilding in Regina and the surrounding areas. For example, Pacesetter Homes Regina is the only Regina homebuilder to consistently exceed the industry standard EnerGuide rating by 15 per cent for every home built in 2019.

As well, the business unit’s everyday building practices focus on using recycled materials, maximizing air tightness, prioritizing quality insulation, striving for high standards of water efficiency, and including passive design features that take advantage of solar energy.

Curt Keil, Vice-President, Pacesetter Homes Regina, said the award impacts the business unit’s team in more ways than one.

“Winning this award has helped us affirm our leadership, while also allowing us to further leverage our marketing efforts to continue building our competitive advantage and value proposition in the Regina marketplace,” said Curt. “This is helping us achieve more sales and improve our margins as consumers recognize and appreciate the energy efficiency of our homes, along with the ability to receive a CMHC (Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation) premium cash rebate after possession.”

All of the standard environmentally-friendly features can be found in the business unit’s 3152 Trombley Street home, which earned Pacesetter Homes Regina another award at the RRHBA Master Awards Gala: the 2019 Green Build of the Year.

The home is

• 16 per cent more energy efficient than a typical home,
• has an air tightness rating of 1.3 ACH (50 per cent better than industry standard), and
• has 18 solar panels (the first Pacesetter Homes Regina home with solar panels), providing 7,170 kWh of power to the home per year – at a savings of $1,129 in energy expenses during the first year alone.

The environmental leadership and green build awards are a telling sign that Pacesetter Homes Regina is on the right track, according to Bob Leier, Production Manager, Pacesetter Homes Regina.

“The validation we get from the industry and our parent company, Qualico, in that we are helping to move this along in our industry is very rewarding,” said Bob.

While Pacesetter Homes Regina is happy with the strides the team’s made so far, Bob said there is still more work to do to cement the business unit’s environmental leadership position in the future, including working towards building a net-zero home within the next few years.

“As a production builder, we have to balance both results and cost-effectiveness on energy efficiency,” said Bob. “We have to make these options attainable, otherwise the consumer will not see the value in this. We are doing these projects to analyze what the best package is that is affordable, functional, and can provide real savings for the consumer. We would like to get to the point in the near future that for a reasonable outlay of capital, you can see savings right away and live in a more comfortable and energy-efficient home.”