Are you looking to buy or build a new home, or renovate your current home? Do you want a home that uses less energy; is more comfortable and healthier to live in; is environmentally friendly and saves on energy costs?

Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency offers choices for you to buy or build a better home, or to help you renovate your current home.

 

• The EnerGuide Rating System (ERS): This well-established brand for the energy rating and labeling of homes enables builders to choose the most beneficial and cost-effective upgrades for energy efficiency for your new home during the planning phase. It plays an important role in the construction of energy efficient new homes by providing homeowners with an evaluation report and official label that shows the EnerGuide rating of the home.

 

• Energy Star for New Homes: Buying a qualified house means lower energy demand and better performance. Your new home is built to technical standards that incorporate energy efficient guidelines and specifications. An Energy Star qualified home has additional energy saving features that make it an average of 20% more energy efficient than a typical home in your region.

 

• R-2000 Standard: R-2000 certified homes are some of the most energy efficient houses on the market. As a best in class energy efficiency label for 30 years, the standard has not only helped to pave the way for increases in energy efficiency in typical construction practices, but has also established the benchmark for energy efficient new home building in Canada.

Your R-2000 certified home ensures state of the art building techniques, exceptional comfort, increased energy savings and health benefits. And with the energy performance target of this year’s R-2000 Standard increasing by an impressive 50% compared to the 2005 Standard, R-2000 once again positions itself as a leading-edge national voluntary standard for energy efficiency.

 

Both the R-2000 and Energy Star for New Homes initiatives are supported by the ERS.

 

• When Renovating Think EnerGuide: Did you know that you can also get an EnerGuide Evaluation of your existing home to help you make the best decisions to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save money? Having a certified energy advisor undertake an EnerGuide evaluation provides you with a current rating, an assessment of your home’s energy efficiency potential, and a prioritized list of recommended upgrades. It may also qualify you to participate in local incentive programs. And after your retrofits, it’s quick to get a new EnerGuide label attesting to your home’s improved energy performance. EnerGuide Evaluations: the first step in smart home renovation.