How to Transform a Calgary Condo into a Green Space

Posted by Justin Havre on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 at 12:12pm.

Almost two decades ago, developers began building condominiums in Calgary, but now the needs are changing and condo living is taken into a new level called green living. “The past decade was all about mega condo developments — such as Keynote, Sasso/Nuera/Vetro, Arriva, Waterfront, Princeton, Five West, La Caille or Stella/Nova/Luna. The next decade will be more about boutique niche condo developments like Drake,” said Richard White, managing director of 3D visualization at Riddell Kurczaba Architecture in an interview for Calgary Herald “It’s much more of a niche market, with infilling of smaller lots, rather than entire blocks.”

Photo by Avia Venefica

 “And, the nice thing about small units is they encourage people to go out. All of a sudden, the inner city becomes their living room. The place is alive with activity because people want to get out of their apartments,” he says.

These trends in making small condos and establishing communities are all part of the green living movement. But what if you the condo you want to buy is part of the older models? Realistically, installing a windmill off the window or solar cells in the balcony is not possible. However, there are some easy ways in which condo owners can reduce their carbon footprints.

1. Plants: Bring more plant indoors. They add beauty and life to your space.  And we are not just talking about ornamentals and flowering plants, vegetables and herbs can be grown indoors. There are several online resources that help you start an indoor garden even in a small space like a condo.
2. Lighting: Replace all lighting fixtures with compact fluorescent light bulbs. To replace a 100-watt incandescent with CFLs will save you $30 in energy costs. CFLs are more durable as they last ten times longer and use less energy. If you purchase your condo in the early stages of construction, you can ask your developer to use energy-efficient bulbs.
3. Hot water: Set your water heater to 120 degrees. It gives you hot water, saves you money, and saves energy.
4. Air flow: Get a ceiling fan installed in your condo unit. They improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems by circulating the air.
5. Water usage: Reduce your water consumption. Brush your teeth without the water running, fill up your kitchen sink and wash your dishes all at once, run full loads of laundry, and install water conserving showerheads. All these go a long way to reducing water usage. Fix leaky pipes should be fixed as soon as you notice them.
6. Heating & cooling: Get a programmable thermostat. It helps you cut down your energy use when you can program your thermostat to lower than comfortable levels when you are at work or when you are on vacation.
7. Holiday lighting: When decorating for the holidays, use LED lights. They can last up to 100,000 hours and use 99% less energy. Turn these lights off when you are away.

These are just some of the many ways which new Calgary condo owners can be part of the whole green living movement that is growing in the whole city.

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