Energy efficiency has come a long way in the past few decades. As the industry has become more energy conscious, builders and developers have shifted their construction methods to follow the new standards being implemented. With concerns for energy consumption on the rise, finding new, efficient building materials has become a priority. The addition of cash rebates being offered from programs such as Efficiency Manitoba for new builds that meet or exceed energy codes is also a major incentive. Developers such as Keller Developments out of Brandon, Manitoba are working to capitalize on this, and are turning to the Greenstone ICE Panels to achieve their energy saving goals.
Keller Developments is a COR certified General Contractor specializing in large, multi-unit residential construction, as well as commercial property development. Owner and president, Evan Keller, was an early adopter of the Greenstone ICE Panel building envelope, particularly interested in the energy efficiency of the product, as well as the prefabricated building process.
“We choose to use Greenstone ICE Panels primarily for the energy efficiency. We want to reduce the energy costs to our end users.”
From an occupancy perspective, Greenstone ICE Panels allow tenants to live more comfortably in their homes. With high energy performance and great indoor air quality, the ICE Panel building envelope provides a draft-free environment and reduces overall energy costs for its occupants.
Another big draw to making the switch to ICE Panels was the simplified building process. Developers like Keller Developments are looking for energy efficient materials that not only provide efficiency once constructed, but that are also efficient on the job site.
“We are a big fan of prefab” says Keller. “Prefab construction increases efficiency on site, reducing our time of construction. The less days you are on a site, the better.” With the ICE Panel package arriving on the job site 95% pre-cut and ready to install, it makes for a much smoother process by reducing not only construction time, but waste on site.
If that wasn’t incentive enough, rebates and other monetary incentives are stacking up as well. There are programs both through CMHC and Efficiency MB that offer rebates to builders who adopt this approach to new construction. With these programs, it makes it a simple and logical choice for businesses like Keller Developments to build with ICE Panels. Being a fan of the prefabricated construction process, Keller Developments knew they wanted to work with a high performance building product that is also cost effective.
The result – a healthy, comfortable, and affordable home for their end users.
“If another developer asked me about building with Greenstone ICE Panels, I would say ‘do it’. The savings on site, getting the project constructed faster, energy savings immediately – even just heating the project during construction. There are many benefits to using the product.”
Interested in learning more about the ICE Panel and how you can start your next project? Connect with our sales team at sales@gsbp.ca.
