How Energy Efficient is your Home?
Jan 2021 Update for Edmontonians: check out the new Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator program. Details here.
I feel as though it is fitting to discuss energy efficiency when it comes to our homes on a week where Edmonton is apparently one of the coldest places on earth. We definitely don’t need any cold drafts getting in and we want our home’s systems to be doing their job with ease to keep us all comfortable.
But how do you know if your home is energy efficient? And what sort of changes can you make to increase its efficiency?
Enter the EnerGuide Evaluation.
When we purchased our 1950s home in 2017, this was something we had done before and after our renovation. We knew that our home was not going to be as energy efficient as a new home and wanted to ensure we were doing the right things to help our home out. And the bonus: we got some money back too, because…
As a new homeowner, there are rebate programs available through your Mortgage Insurance provider that can result in receiving up to 25% of your insurance premiums back if you make your home more energy efficient or purchase an energy efficient home. CMHC Green Home and Genworth Energy Efficient Housing Program are two I’m aware of.
Since we knew we had to make some changes that would impact the home’s energy efficiency it was a no brainer to take advantage of the program. As part of the program we had to have the EnerGuide evaluation done in order to validate the increase in efficiency as a result of the renovations.
So we ended up having a NRCan qualified Energy Advisor come out to to complete the evaluation before we started renovations. Once the evaluation was done, our energy usage was calculated and the Energy Advisor discussed the results and areas where we could make significant gains. This information was great to have and impacted a few of the decisions we made. After our renovations were completed, we passed along that documentation back to the Energy Advisor and he came back to run the tests again. In our case our results were as follows:
That’s right, we improved by 127 GJ/year! This also meant that we got the maximum rebate back on our mortgage insurance premiums! Win-win!
The Energy Advisor who helped us out is Dan Raimundo from Emerge Fine Homes. I thought it would be valuable to get his take on the process and some of the must do items and trends in the realm of energy efficiency. What follows is a brief interview I had with Dan.
Q: First of all, why should someone consider getting an Energy Evaluation done?
A: EnerGuide Ratings can help a homeowner evaluate the current energy efficiency of their home and identify the potential upgrades to a home that would have the most yield. EnerGuide Ratings can inform a purchaser on the energy efficiency of a home and can help the purchaser make an informed decision when it comes to evaluating the performance of either a new or older home.
Q: What is the cost of having the Evaluation done?
A: The current cost of an EnerGuide evaluation starts at $450.00 for a home up to 2500 SF and increases $100.00 for every additional 1000 SF. Follow up evaluations after upgrades are completed cost $250.00
Blower Door Test
Q: What does the Evaluation entail and what information do you provide after?
A: The evaluation takes approximately 2-3 hours, where an Energy Advisor will record the home dimensions, building envelope components and mechanical systems. They will conduct a blower door test to determine the air tightness of the home and identify areas of the home that are “leaky” and can be improved. As part of the EnerGuide Evaluation the client will receive a EnerGuide Sticker that should be displayed on the electrical panel that shows the estimated annual energy usage in GJ (gigajoules) of the home. EnerGuide ratings use the same variables for occupants, temperatures and usage so comparisons between homes are based on the home and not the occupants or their habits. They will also receive a Homeowner Information Sheet detailing the current components of the home. And finally a Renovation Upgrade Report that outlines potential upgrades to the home and their corresponding effect on the EnerGuide Rating.
Q: If you would recommend one renovation or update that has the most impact for increasing energy efficiency, what would it be?
A: The first and most important item when it comes to Energy Efficiency is airtightness. Air movement through the building envelope has the biggest effect on the energy efficiency of your home. The Energy Advisor with the aid of a blower door will identify the areas of the home that can be sealed. A good thing is that a lot of these areas can be sealed and improved upon by the homeowner. I will also suggest as a close second is improving the attic insulation. Heat loss through the roof assembly is one of the easiest to upgrade and most cost effective to improve.
Q: Since you are also a custom home builder, what are your non-negotiables in a new home as it relates to energy efficiency?
A: For new homes the opportunity to build an energy efficient and comfortable home is there for the taking. The Energy Code does a great job of ensuring that homes are built to a high efficiency standard. Most reputable builders are already building to or over these standards. With every revision of the code standards are improving and becoming even more stringent. Personally, since I value air tightness and believe that construction details are so important, the inclusion of a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) or Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) are a necessity for not only the energy efficiency but also comfortability of a home.
Q: Although many of the Alberta energy efficiency rebates have been cancelled, are there others rebates available that homeowners can look into?
A: With the discontinuing Energy Efficiency Alberta and Edmonton's Home Energy Plan there unfortunately isn't much available for rebates currently. This will hopefully change. There are rebates available for CMHC fees for new homes or renovations and the City of Edmonton has a solar rebate that is available.
Q: Any new trends in the green building space that you’re excited about in 2020?
A: I am excited that solar pricing is becoming more affordable. Increased efficiencies for mechanical systems, furnaces, on demand and ecm motors. Also, heat pump units are starting to trend and become viable options for heating and domestic hot water.
Thanks Dan!
If anyone is interested in having an EnerGuide rating done, give him a shout at info@emergefinehomes.com. As someone who actively works in this field he is extremely knowledgeable and was very helpful when it came time for us to decide what changes we were going to make in our home.
Kierstin Smyth Design
Edmonton Interior Design Consultant