Construction on the environmentally friendly, energy-efficient Kamloops Green Dream Home began on Friday (July 24) during a groundbreaking ceremony at Sun Rivers.

Thompson Rivers University and the Central Home Builders’ Association Central Interior (CHBA CI) combined to win one of 15 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Equilibrium Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative grants, which are put toward building next-generation, built “green” homes across Canada.

“We want to be able to demonstrate green principles to the public, consumers, builders and developers so that they can try to apply those in the real market,” CHBA president Darryl Caunt said.

Key features of the home include passive solar heating and cooling, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, natural daylighting, water conservation and re-use, a solar hot-water heating system and grid-tied photovoltaic panels.

The result of installing the aforementioned features is near net-zero annual energy consumption — and a miniscule utility bill.

Caunt said potential homebuilders will be exposed to new, innovative ideas when they walk through the Green Dream Home upon its completion next year.

“Maybe a consumer will just take three or four items or a developer will take 90 per cent of the features, it’s a great marketing project,” Caunt said.

A recent CMHC market-research survey revealed Canadians expected to buy a home in the next five years and are willing to pay anywhere between $5,000 and $25,000 to build with the environment in mind if the reduced energy costs will offset the initial expense that results from building “green”.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Conservative MP Cathy McLeod said it may be more expensive to go “green” now, but the cost of practising environmentally sound building techniques will eventually decrease.

“We’re going to learn about a lot of new technology and innovation and I think as it becomes more mainstream the prices will change.” McLeod said.

The home was designed by a first-year TRU architectural and engineering technology program student, Jody Martens, whose blueprint beat out 37 of her fellow classmates’.

Martens said she was thankful the opportunity that could potentially parlay into other projects .

“We’ll have to wait and see what the final product looks like, that will be the deciding factor,” Martens told KTW.

“Hopefully, they’ll be able to build everything the way it’s shown. It’s not a simple design and I think it’s going to be a bit of a challenge for the students.”

Ulrick Scheck, provost and vice-president academic at TRU, said the project is unique chance for TRU’s trade students to gain hands-on experience.

“Only three of these houses are being built this year in Canada” Scheck said.

“I can’t overstate the opportunity for our students.”