If you're building a new home and want to make it as energy efficient as possible, you might want to consider Natural Resource Canada's (NRCan) ecoENERGY for Buildings and Houses program.
The NRCan's Office of Energy Efficiency has created the EnerGuide rating service to give expert independent advice on energy-efficient home construction and to provide an energy rating system that reflects a home's energy performance.
Green washing abounds in the construction industry and it's all too common hear claims of energy efficiency without the proof.
The EnerGuide rating system provides this proof by using a standardized rating system that generates a number, backed by the Government of Canada, that can be openly compared between homes.
The rating system is based on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 representing a home with no insulation, enormous air leakage and over-the-top energy consumption -- picture a derelict barn with a low-efficiency furnace running at max -- and 100 representing a home that is very well insulated, is airtight while being well ventilated and is completely off-grid, requiring no purchased energy whatsoever.
A new home built to current building code standards will typically fall in an EnerGuide rating range of 65 to 72. A new home with some modest energy-efficiency improvements will fall in the range of 73 to 79.
A new energy-efficient home with significant energy-efficient upgrades will rank somewhere between 80 and 89 while a super energy-efficient home, one that requires little or no purchased energy, will rate between 90 and 100.
Many municipalities today recognize the EnerGuide rating system and grant bonuses for new home construction with an EG value of 80 or more.
The District of North Vancouver, for example, offers a density bonus from two to 10 per cent with EG ratings of 80 or more.
Taking part in the Energuide program requires the prospective homebuilder to acquire the services of a certified EnerGuide adviser who will evaluate their construction documents to develop an energy-efficiency upgrade strategy before the building starts.
The adviser will use computer software to model different options, focusing on the heating and ventilation equipment of the home and its building envelope, to create the most cost-effective solutions for optimal energy efficiency.
After construction, the Energuide adviser returns and verifies the energy efficient upgrades and performs a blower door test. The homeowner is then provided with an evaluation report and an official EnerGuide rating.
Simply put, an energy-efficient home uses less energy and is less expensive to operate. By creating one, we choose to invest in the proven value of an energy-efficient home while helping to protect the environment as well.
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