Founded in 1993, multi-award-winning Empire has gained a solid reputation as the creator of exceptional homes and communities that provide enduring value. The company is accomplishing this through its new C.A.R.E. program. This encompasses the entire customer experience from the greeting in the sales office through to a walkthrough after framing, the PDI before closing, and includes educational workshops that offer a chance to learn about the new home-buying process and address frequently asked questions.

A progressive leader with an abiding commitment to building green, Empire is one of the first, and remains one of only a handful of builders in Ontario that have committed to constructing only Energy Star® homes, representing a 30 per cent saving for homeowners in all of its neighbourhoods. Empire includes the Energy Star® qualification as a standard feature by absorbing the incremental costs rather than offering this benefit as an upgrade. This, combined with Empire’s already competitive prices and the fact that energy costs in Ontario will continue to rise, makes the savings factor even more important.

“It’s somewhat confusing for consumers nowadays,” says Executive Vice President Paul Golini Jr., “with so many third-party green rating systems out there. While we are investigating a number of industry-led options, currently we have chosen to build to the Energy Star® standard because people have confidence in its proven track record. With utilities costs rising, the payback on owning an Energy Star®-certified home is accelerating.” For two consecutive years, in 2007 and 2008, Empire received the EnerGuide Builder of the Year award from the EnerQuality Corporation.

To advance the cause of green building and educate consumers on energy-friendly technology, the company also spent two years developing the Discovery House that was located at Wyndfield in Brantford, and exceeded the Energy Star® for New Homes standard. In addition, Golini sits on Canada Green Building Council’s LEED® for Homes administrative committee, and the Greater Toronto Area’s Building Industry Land Development (BILD) Association’s Board of Directors and Green Committee.

“LEED® is a natural next step for us,” Golini says. “We have been one of the few selected from among approximately 30 builders across Canada to participate in a case study. The logical place to carry it out is The Estates of Wyndance in Uxbridge. This entire community is designed around environmental considerations.” The adjacent golf course was created using a “least disturbance approach” design to factor in natural land features.

To qualify under the LEED® for Homes program, Empire is piloting an onsite waste recycling system at Wyndance, involving the sorting, documenting and disposing of onsite waste materials by recycling as many as possible. The pilot also includes construction of a home with environmentally friendly components that go beyond the Energy Star® standard, including the use of recycled materials, and materials that are shipped locally to save on fuel and emissions.

More recently, through Golini’s involvement with the BILD Archetype Committee, Empire is taking a leading role in the planning, marketing and overseeing the construction of the Archetype Sustainable House at the Kortright Centre in Vaughan – a joint initiative with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). A Blitz Build in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity is seeing construction of the house itself, which includes two semi-detached homes. One showcases green building technologies and practices that are currently available, and the other goes beyond to explore future possibilities. These homes will become permanent training and educational facilities for the public and the industry. Also, watch for HYBRID HOME™, Empire’s own green brand coming soon.

Currently Empire’s new home communities include The Estates of Wyndance in Uxbridge, Riverland in Breslau, Summerlea in Binbrook, The Meadows at Franklin Pond in Cambridge, Rosehill in Hamilton, and Wyndfield and Wyndfield West in Brantford. For more information on Empire Communities, visit www.empirecommunities.com.