Alberta’s Jayman BUILT honoured in national awards
Now in its second year, Built Green Canada’s Maverick Awards reward and profile leadership in sustainable building, across three exclusive categories—these saw entries from British Columbia through to Ontario. One of the finalists for the Transformational Award is “Core Performance”, the home building model offered as a standard by Jayman BUILT in Alberta. This award’s purpose is to recognize the impact sustainability practices can have in driving real change—enabling fundamental progress.
Core Performance has done just that for this production builder. This is a set of energy-efficient inclusions in every single-family home Jayman builds today—which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and annual energy costs. Its energy-efficient features include 10 solar panels, a 96 per cent high-efficiency two-stage furnace, an active heat recovery ventilator, a tankless hot water heater, foundation wrap, triple-pane R-6 windows and a ultra-violet light air purification system. These features save homeowners up to $582 annually on energy costs and prevent 5.09 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. These homes are 37 per cent more efficient than the Alberta Building Code.
The fact that this impressive range of features is standard for a production builder results in a considerable cumulative environmental impact—take their solar contributions, for example. With 700-800 homes built annually, each with 10 solar panels, since 2019, Jayman has installed over 10 megawatts of solar power across 4,000 homes in Alberta, saving over 16,501 metric tonnes of carbon emissions. If the panels were in one location as a solar farm, they would cover 40 acres—significantly contributing to Alberta’s electrical grid and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024 alone, this system reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 5,776 tonnes, with numbers continuing to grow, as each year they add 9,000 to 10,000 more solar panels!
It was in 2005 that Jayman BUILT began to implement changes to the way their homes were constructed—introducing energy efficient, sustainable features that benefit homeowners and the environment. The transformation of their homes has been guided primarily by Built Green Canada’s certification program and the need to meet future building code requirements. Beginning in 2005, certifying all single-family homes through Built Green, Jayman was able to garner a better understanding of the program’s checklist standards and how they could meet and exceed them. Each year, they incorporated improvements to energy efficiency, mechanical systems, indoor air quality, water conservation and waste reduction, which built upon each other and led to future innovations.
For instance, in 2007, they developed the “Quantum Wall” featuring exterior rigid foam insulation, providing superior energy savings and earning important points on the Built Green certification checklist. This innovation led to the creation of the Gen 2 Quantum wall for Net Zero homes in 2020, and today, the pilot of the Gen 3 Quantum wall, with fire-resistant exterior foam. By 2015, when the National Energy Code mandated that homes must meet energy efficient standards, Jayman had already exceeded these requirements through energy modeling, blower door testing, EnerGuide labels and Built Green certifications.
The transition to where they are today, was amplified in 2016, when Jayman began to include solar panel rough-in wiring and a 96 per cent high-efficiency two-stage furnace, making homes 14 per cent more energy-efficient than the Alberta Building Code at that time. The transformation continued with a series of key upgrades: in 2018, attic insulation was increased to R-50, and LED bulbs were included, pushing energy efficiency to 16 per cent above code. By 2019, a 6-panel solar system was added as a standard feature, improving energy efficiency by 20 per cent, and in 2023, the system was upgraded to 10 solar panels per home, making homes 33 per cent more efficient than the Alberta Building Code. As they developed their offerings, the importance of energy savings and climate action rose to the forefront. They recognize the importance of saving their homeowners money, as energy costs are expected to rise—and they are proud to say that living in one of our homes has a positive impact on the environment.
But the initiative's impact extends beyond energy savings. Their Merv13 furnace filter has an ultra-violet light air purification system that kills 99 per cent of airborne germs and pathogens; coupled with the HRV, which refreshes the air every 3 hours, indoor air quality is significantly improved. Meanwhile, low-flow fixtures save 84 million litres of water, and their building practices and materials have contributed to recycling 40,000 metric tonnes of waste material that would otherwise have gone to a landfill!
As part of their transformation, Jayman credits key partners. Their partnership with Built Green over the past 20 years has been a driver for their sustainable initiatives, contributing to being a recognized industry leader. Jayman BUILT is also the founding member of Built Green, as their Chairman, CEO and Founder, Jay Westman, spearheaded the nonprofit’s development during his time as President of what is now called BILD CR. This, in an effort to help progress industry towards improved sustainable building practices. Meanwhile, suppliers such as SkyFire Energy and 4Elements have been essential to Jayman BUILT’s transformation, providing expertise in solar energy and other energy-efficient technologies that have helped bring these innovations to life.
And while Core Performance is standard, Jayman BUILT also offers even higher performance home models. Inspired by Core Performance, they developed their Path to Net Zero, which offers homebuyers four options that go up to net zero. It was in 2021 that the company introduced its first Net Zero Certified Home, producing as much energy as it consumes. To date, Jayman has built 34 net zero homes—and since Built Green Canada introduced their BUILT GREEN® Net Zero Energy+ rating, which addresses energy and other key areas of sustainable building, Jayman has also been certifying at this level.
“Our mandate has always been to lead the industry in innovation and sustainability, while still providing homeowners with a high-quality home that they can afford,” says Chief Operating Officer, Dave Hooge, at Jayman BUILT. “One of our core values is that being second isn’t good enough; our drive to lead industry forward has transformed not only our own company but impacted wider industry.”
They note that employees take pride in seeing the direct impact their work has on the environment. This collective dedication fosters a strong sense of unity, boosting company morale as everyone works toward a shared goal. They know that their homeowners enjoy reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, improved indoor air quality and improved performance of the home for years to come.
Looking ahead, Jayman would like to see a broader industry push towards more affordable energy-efficient solutions, both from builders and suppliers. And while they are proud of their reduced environmental impact, this transformation needs to be a collective industry initiative. More collaboration across the sector—coupled with stronger support from governments—will drive forward the adoption of sustainable practices on a larger scale, making these energy-saving solutions more accessible and mainstream for everyone.
The Maverick Awards are another step forward in Built Green Canada's mission to progress sustainability practices and recognize leadership; this year, four winners have been announced in conjunction with title co-sponsors, Jayman BUILT and SkyFire Energy. The Mavericks awarded Jim Zsiros of J. Zsiros Contracting with the Ambassador Award for exemplifying the power of hands-on ambassadorship—he’s created a ripple effect that’s elevated green building standards, particularly Built Green, across the region. Meanwhile, s2e Technologies won the Innovation Award for their London-based project, EVE Park, which is aiming for a net zero residential development rethinking suburban living: addressing high performance buildings and smart parking. While this Transformational Award, sponsored by Alberta Real Estate Foundation, had a tie this year. One of its winners is Best Builders for their Phoenix House in Delta, a remarkable rebuild setting a new benchmark for low-carbon renovations, while addressing resilience and holistic sustainability. The other is Spring Creek Mountain Village in Canmore, which has transformed from a mobile home park into an impressive multi-phase community largely fueled by geo-exchange, which embraces social, environmental and economic sustainability.