Our Sustainability Commitment.
Since 2006, BK Cornerstone has been Windsor-Essex County’s premier Energy Star® Certified builder. Our commitment to sustainability shines through in every home we build, ensuring that our homeowners experience superior comfort, substantial energy savings, and peace of mind.
What sets us apart? As one of the area's first and few Energy Star® Certified and Net Zero certified builders, we're dedicated to exceeding expectations in sustainability practices. Our homes are designed to deliver immediate, quantifiable energy savings, and are certified through third-party building diagnostic testing. In addition to our commitment to producing better-built homes, we also prioritize sustainability in our daily business practices. We are transitioning our work fleet over to electrical vehicles, we personally provide facilities for new homeowners and our crew to recycle construction and moving waste, and our office is proudly paper-free.
But what exactly is an Energy Star® Certified home?
It's more than just a label; it's a mark of quality. Energy Star® Certified homes meet rigorous criteria for improved energy efficiency, indoor comfort, and long-term savings. Compared to homes built to standard building code requirements, Energy Star® Certified homes are at least 20% more energy efficient, resulting in significant utility cost reductions for homeowners.
What features can you expect from a BK Cornerstone Energy Star® Certified home?
The following are Energy Star® compliance factors that are inspected by third party diagnostic teams and verified on site:
Improved air tightness levels, verified through a blower door test. This test determines if the home complies with airtightness targets, ensuring whole house air leakage is at a minimum.
Higher insulation levels than conventional homes, ensuring a high quality building envelope and the implementation of good building science principles.
Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems, which transfer heat or coolness from stale exhaust air to fresh intake air. This balanced ventilation solution removes excess moisture, odors, and contaminants while conserving energy and enhancing comfort.
Energy Star certified windows, which are up to 20% more energy efficient than standard building code requirement windows. These windows are assessed for factors such as their solar heat gain coefficient, air leakage, and their U-Factor, which helps determine total heat transfer through the window.
Energy Star certified doors, which are up to 15% more energy efficient than standard building code requirement doors.
Energy Star qualified light fixtures and bulbs, which produce less heat, reduce electricity costs, and have better longevity than other standard incandescent or fluorescent fixtures.
What does this mean for you? The benefits speak for themselves.
Our homes are proven to provide more comfortable, economical, and healthy indoor environments, because they:
Provide consistent, comfortable temperatures year-round, achieved through advanced insulation and reduced air leakage, confirmed through third party testing.
Create quiet, peaceful indoor living spaces thanks to advanced air tightness and insulation measures.
Are at least 20% more energy efficient than conventional homes, translating to tangible cost savings in hydro, water, and natural gas consumption.
Feature enhanced indoor air quality through the integration of advanced fresh air systems and state-of-the-art heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, ensuring a healthier living environment.
What is Net Zero?
We pride ourselves on being the region’s premier Net Zero builder. A Net Zero home may include many of the same features as our Energy Star® certified builds, while also including additional benefits.
A Net Zero Home produces as much energy as it consumes, and has been designed and constructed for optimal energy efficiency and cost. Net Zero homes are up to 80% more energy efficient than conventional homes and use renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, to produce as much or more energy than the home consumes.
The Net Zero label is administered by third parties, following an inspection and energy audit, so you know it is a label you can trust. If you would like more information on how to get started on building a Net Zero home, please reach out to our office.
