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ENTERPRISE - When the City of Yellowknife proposed its new energy-efficient building standard, dubbed EnerGuide 80, Glen Klassen was among those who wondered whether it could be done.

Klassen Homes co-owners T.Jay and Glen Klassen recently shipped a Triple M energy-efficient home to Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Glen Klassen

Klassen co-owns Enterprise-based Klassen Homes with his son. The company, which provides housing all over the North, is an agent for manufactured houses for Triple M Homes, a company based in Lethbridge, Alta.

At the time of the city's announcement in 2007 – the bylaw passed Jan. 1 2008 – Triple M did not offer EGH 80 houses.

Klassen decided to change that, not letting the "it-can't-be-done" attitude get the better of him.

"We felt that way in the beginning. We found it very challenging. A lot of work was done. A lot of phone calls. A lot of ground work, trying to find furnaces, hot water heaters and everything that would make it meet the code," said Klassen.

It took a year to develop the first EGH 80 manufactured home with Triple M, much time spent hashing out plans between the company and Bill Fandrick, the City of Yellowknife's building inspections manager.

"The first ones are always the hardest challenge. After that they become easier," said Klassen.

He said he's happy Yellowknife decided to implement the EGH 80 standard early on. The standard, which uses a Natural Resources Canada system to rates a house's energy efficiency on a sale of 1 to 100, has already been implemented in many jurisdictions and is likely to become Canada-wide.

"I'm glad (the city) did because it has set a precedent and proves that it can be done," said Klassen.

Plus an early warning – there is a three-year grace period before all new houses must meet EGH 80 – sure beats a last minute one, said Klassen.

Klassen Homes installed its first Triple M EGH 80 in Yellowknife last October. Its owners, Laurie and Dwayne Moroz, have said they have no regrets with their new home – especially considering their significantly lower heating bill this winter.

Klassen seems to have no regrets either – even if it's one of the hardest tasks his company has undertaken to date.

"So far, the biggest challenge in our business was to make the EnerGuide 80. That was one of the biggest challenges for us," he said.

Klassen said he has gotten more orders for the EGH 80 standard homes – which cost $12,000 to $15,000 more than a non-EGH 80 style home – since the Moroz's arrived in Yellowknife.

But despite the recent go-green development, that's not all his company specializes in, stressed Klassen.

"We've also been selling homes into the Northern communities," he said.

Currently, the company has two on the way to Gameti and one at the barge heading to Tulita.

"We're not a small company anymore. We've grown leaps and bounds," said Klassen.