Halifax Retro

Every week I get calls from people confused about how to make their homes more energy efficient. Most calls go something like this: “I’m looking for someone to come to my house and tell me how it can be more energy efficient.” Or, “I’m building a new house and I don’t know what to use to heat my house. What are my options?” Or even questions like “I’ve just torn apart my basement and I’m thinking about putting some of that pink insulation stuff in there. David Suzuki told me I could get money for it, is that true?”

For many people, the whole building or renovation process can be a bit daunting, I understand. Before I started working as the Energy Programs Officer at the Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association (NSHBA), the idea of energy efficient housing solutions was like opening a 500 page text book for the first time and realizing that you don’t understand the first paragraph. I often thought: “Wow, this stuff is a little confusing, can’t I just get the Coles Notes?” The good news is, over time I’ve made sense of it all and now it’s my job to make the world of energy efficient homes easier and more understandable for you – the environmental consumer with a busy schedule.

So, let’s clear some of this up, shall we?

To start, it’s important to understand two important things:

1. Most energy efficient housing programs in Nova Scotia fall under one government-funded initiative – The EnerGuide Rating System.
2. Most peoples’ issues can be separated by asking a simple question – are you building a new house or renovating an old one?

If you’re looking for a more sustainable home renovation, your first step will be to call or visit Conserve Nova Scotia online. As the government agency responsible for providing Nova Scotians with a wide range of energy solutions, Conserve Nova Scotia is where you will find everything you need to know about EnerGuide for Houses and the marvellous government rebates that come attached to it.

Conservens.ca will provide you with a list of qualified energy evaluators in your area who will come to your home and complete an energy efficiency test. Essentially, this test involves depressurizing your home (basically, a big fan that sucks all the air out of your house – allowing you and the evaluator to walk around the house and find any air leaks you will need to fix). After the test, the evaluator will give you a list of possible upgrades to make your home more energy efficient. From that date on, you will have 18 months to make the changes before the evaluator returns for a final test.

If you’re building a new house your first step should be to call us or visit the NSHBA website at www.nshba.ns.ca where you can download an EnerGuide for New Houses application form. Be sure to talk to your builder about filling in the application as it involves a few technical items about your new home that you may not know. As you have probably guessed, EnerGuide for New Houses is similar to the EnerGuide renovating program offered by Conserve Nova Scotia, but with one major difference: the first evaluation is done using an accurate software program that digitally evaluates your house and provides you with energy efficiency options before you build. When all the work has been done, the energy evaluators will perform one final air tightness test and you will receive an EnerGuide for New Houses label in the mail. This shows how energy efficient your home is.

Overall, building energy efficiency in to your home is an extremely smart decision – no matter the shape or size. These upgrades are nothing more than an upfront investment that pays you back month after month, especially in the winter.

Adam Meery
Energy Programs Officer
Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association

Tags: adam meery, conservation, green energy