Tyendinaga man wins energy award

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Chris Maracle, director of housing for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte council, was presented the top prize for building an energy-efficient home in Tyendinaga. The home won Maracle the 2003 EnerQuality R-2000 Excellence Award for Technical Excellence under 1,500 sq. ft. The award was sponsored by the Office of Energy Efficiency, a department within Natural Resources Canada.

The new home is one of 50 that make up the R-2000 subdivision in Tyendinaga.

"The house was built to be as cost-effective as possible and utilize innovative ideas and energy efficient building techniques. It's a win-win situation where the tenants, because they are all rental homes also, realize a healthy indoor environment, and they also have a house of significantly reduced utility bills. It makes it much more affordable for them to be in their homes," said Maracle.

The reduction in heating costs results from insulation that was added under the slabs, a feature that will help keep the basement floor warm during winter. It was also built to ensure better indoor air quality.

The project also provided job opportunities for members of the community and utilized local resources to get the job done.

"We used local resources such as local white cedar for the deck and built by our own Mohawk people here in the community. We have four young apprentices on the scene now. Actually, the same crew does almost every component of the house, the same guys that do the basement and the footing from the trim up to the mechanical system, so we have a high skilled team that can do all different components of the house," Maracle said.

"We've been doing R-2000 for 11 years, and it's won about three or four R-2000 awards for that development in particular ... Actually, that development actually won the Canada efficiency award," said Maracle.

Maracle works on six to 10 houses a year. Recently, he became a 2003 Hall of Fame recipient in the builder category for his efforts in leading the R-2000 program in Tyendinaga.

"It's great getting it. With that being said, it's very much a team," said Maracle.