Canadian hardware, home renovation and garden store, RONA, has taken the idea of reality TV to a new level with a competition to build LEED-certified homes. The result is two green homes in Calgary, Alberta, and a television audience that is more knowledgeable about sustainable construction and home decorating.
Home renovation shows such as This Old House and Homes by Holmes are two examples of home improvement television series. The My RONA Home show on Citytv married this approach with the kind of competition that makes reality TV shows like American Idol so compelling. “Who will win their dream home?” was the big question.
The 10-part series pitted two families against each other. Contestants lived on site in trailers. They worked side by side, putting in long hours to complete their respective projects.
Design, Construct and Decorate a Green Home
Selected in a pre-competition for their enthusiasm and commitment, the competing families represented average earners with an interest in going green. Each segment of the show focussed on one aspect of the home: a particular room, the landscaping and site design, energy efficiency measures and exterior finishing.
Working room by room through the show’s 10 segments, the Blue and Yellow teams as they were called had only 30 hours to complete each phase of the house. Standing by to encourage them and provide savvy advice about green products were two design teams provided by RONA.
TV viewers voted week by week on their favourite team’s efforts. In addition to watching the teams compete feverishly to complete their projects, viewers learned about how to live sustainably and make wiser product choices. For many in the audience, it would have been a first encounter with the building certification system, LEED®.
LEED® Canada for Homes
LEED® Canada for Homes is one of a series of programs in the internally-recognized rating system that promotes the design and construction of energy efficient buildings. Introduced in March 2009 in Canada, the program is concerned with eco-responsible site development, water reduction, better envelope construction and indoor air quality.
Benefits of a LEED home include lower energy and water bills; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and less exposure to mould, mildew and other indoor toxins. Actual construction costs of the RONA home are equivalent to other high quality construction.
The two homes in the RONA competition featured products such as locally-sourced certified lumber, low flow faucets and dual flush toilets, low VOC (volatile organic compound) and recycled paint, Energy Star® appliances and CSA-certified windows. Landscaping will minimise water consumption by using drought-tolerant plants.
RONA’s Corporate Commitment to the Environment
As part of its commitment to educating the wider public and its customers, RONA’s team of experts provided commentary on why particular choices of products were made, and how their use diminished the homes’ impact on the environment.
Recently, RONA opened two new stores in Strathmore, Alberta and Saint-Georges, Quebec built to LEED standards. These stores contain highly-advanced energy-, water- and waste-saving features that make them among the most environmentally-respectful commercial structures in Canada.
Andree Iffrig - Andrée Iffrig LEED AP is a writer and award-winning graduate architect. She uses her broad background in environmental design and ...
