The Greening of Grace

For many businesses being “Green” is just a marketing tool. At Grace’s Places, however, reducing energy consumption has always been a cornerstone of my business model. At the end of the day (or the fiscal year) a penny saved is the same as a penny earned, and lower costs mean lower rents. And of course, less damage to the environment.


At Grace’s Places’ Dalton Road property electricity consumption has been reduced by more than 40% thanks largely to energy-saving LED lighting.

Similar savings have been achieved at the Cabbagetown building, with the use of energy-efficient lighting, the conversion of water heating to gas, the use of set-back thermostats and EnergyStar air conditioners.

The bachelor apartments in Cabbagetown are equipped with efficient induction cookers.
If you've ever visited the laundry room of small Toronto apartment building you almost certainly have seen water guzzling top-load washers. A few years ago we equipped the laundry room at Dalton Road with two EnergyStar front-loading Huebsch Horizon washing machines which use half as much water as conventional toploaders, and because most of the water is removed in the spin cycle drying times are less (so less natural gas is burned). Their capacity is 40% greater than a toploader but they required far less detergent, and their gentle tumbling action causes less fabric wear, so your clothes will last longer. 

  

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We're also saving water with low-flow or dual-flush toilets

  

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And water-saving shower heads.

  

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In recent years we've switched from hardwood flooring to bamboo (actually a fast-growing grass) and cork (the renewable bark of the cork tree).