There is more “new” in a new home today than ever before – new ideas, new technology, new ways to build and new ways to save. And “saving” is where today's new homes really shine.

Your home is likely to be the largest purchase you'll ever make. And with rising energy and resource costs, your home will continue to be a big part of your monthly budget.

More than 20% of the energy used in Ontario is used to run homes.

Here's a breakdown of a typical home's energy use.



Houses built today can offer great ways to save on energy, water, materials and more.

New Home Construction

Beginning January 2011, the Ontario Power Authority and local electric utilities will be working with participating home builders and renovators across Ontario to build and renovate single family homes that are energy-efficient, smart and integrated.

With NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, we will ensure that new homes are built to meet the needs of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow. We do this by promoting home energy performance and the installation of energy-efficient products to builders and renovators across the province.

Participation

Energy-efficient new home building initiatives offered in Ontario

In addition to NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, there are a handful of energy-efficient new home programs offered throughout Ontario by many different builders.

So, how do you choose the new home program that's right for you – and what exactly is the difference between one label and another? Let's take a look at what these programs stand for – after all, an informed homebuyer is a smart homebuyer.

Here are a few industry programs, including NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION that promote energy-efficiency for new homes in Ontario. Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in any of the programs.

• NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION

• EnerGuide for New Homes
• ENERGY STAR^® for New Homes
• LEED Canada for New Homes
• R2000 for New Homes

NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION

Beginning January 2011, the Ontario Power Authority and local electric utilities will be working with participating home builders and renovators across Ontario to ensure that new single family homes are energy-efficient, smart and integrated.

Efficient refers to efficient electronics, appliances, home systems and building envelope. It includes new and more efficient technologies, proper sizing and installation of equipment, as well as efficient use of the equipment. 

Smart refers to effective management of electricity in homes. It uses price signals, coupled with load control devices or systems, that can range from simple switched sockets to sophisticated smart home grids. 

Integrated refers to reducing electricity use and other forms of energy through home design and examining new and innovative ways to use energy in the home.

NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, will ensure that new homes are built to meet the needs of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow. We do this by promoting home energy performance and the installation of energy-efficient products to builders and renovators across the province.

l be encouraging builders to build homes that achieve performance ratings like EnerGuide 83 or better and to install energy-efficient products to help save electricity in your new home such as:

• All-Off Switches

This is a master power switch for your home. Selected outlets around your house – as well as everything plugged into them – are connected to, and controlled by, this single on/off switch. For example, when you leave your home you can switch off all connected lamps by flipping one switch! 

• Electronic Commutated Motor (ECM)

All furnaces have a motor to circulate hot air throughout your house. ECMs are an efficient type of furnace motor that also allows you to save electricity while getting the same level of home comfort from your furnace.

• Seasonal Energy-Efficiency Ratio 15 Central Air Conditioners (SEER 15 CAC)

SEER is a metric used to rate the efficiency of central air conditioners. SEER 15 designates a central air conditioner that has a higher efficiency rating than the average central air conditioner currently sold in the market.

• ENERGY STAR^® Qualified Light Fixtures and Other Efficient Lighting

The ENERGY STAR mark on lighting fixtures – regular fixtures, multi-lamp fixtures (e.g. chandeliers), pot lights, and T8 fluorescent fixtures, as well as other niche lighting fixtures – indicates superior energy performance.

• Lighting Control Products

These products include dimmer switches for lights, lighting timers and indoor and outdoor motion sensors, all of which contribute to an energy-efficient approach.

Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in NEW  HOME CONSTRUCTION

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EnerGuide for New Homes:

You are probably familiar with the EnerGuide Rating Service that's been used for quite some time to help consumers understand the energy-efficient options available in major appliances, heating and air conditioning systems. This Natural Resources Canada label-neutral rating system can also be applied to homes to evaluate their overall energy efficiency.

An Energy-Efficiency Rating for New Homes

The EnerGuide Rating Service for new homes rates the energy efficiency of a new home on a scale from 1 to 100, and compares its energy performance with other rated houses of a similar size.

A rating of 0 represents a home with major air leakage, no insulation and extremely high energy consumption. A score of 80 or higher is a good energy-efficiency target and 91 or more is a superior home in terms of energy efficiency. A rating of 100 represents a house that is airtight, well insulated, sufficiently ventilated and requires no purchased energy on an annual basis.

For example, a new home built to national building code standards would have a rating of 65-72, whereas an energy-efficient new home would have a rating of 80 or higher.(Existing homes may also be EnerGuide rated if tested by a Certified Energy Evaluator or an ecoEnergy advisor.) New homes in Ontario are typically built to a standard between 74-76. 

A Guide to EnerGuide: What's Involved?

1. The builder contacts an EnerGuide Rating System Service Organization to get a list of certified energy advisors in the area.

2. The builder then works with an energy advisor to enrol and label houses in the program.

3. The energy advisor undertakes an analysis of the new house plans/blueprints, noting components that will affect the energy efficiency of the house (i.e., mechanical equipment, windows, building envelope, insulation levels, resistance to heat loss, passive solar heat gain, house orientation, etc.)

4. The energy advisor inputs this information into Natural Resources Canada's energy simulation software to determine the estimated annual energy usage and EnerGuide rating for the house as per the plans.

5. The energy advisor also provides variations of the simulation that include energy-efficient upgrades that improve the energy performance of the home. The energy advisor ensures that good building science principles are maintained.

6. The "as per plans" rating and the optional energy-efficient upgrades are provided to the builder for costing analysis.

7. In some circumstances, the builder meets with the homeowner to agree on the house specifications and energy-efficient components that the house will have, and at what cost.

   
   

   Blower Door

   A blower door test is a tool designed to help locate air leakage and measure the air tightness of buildings. It consists of a calibrated fan for measuring airflow rate and a pressure-sensing device to measure the air pressure created by the fan flow. This combination of measurements are used to determine the building's air tightness which is important when trying to increase energy conservation, decrease indoor air pollution or to control building pressures.

8. When construction is complete, the builder calls the energy advisor to return to the house to verify the energy-efficient upgrades and to perform a blower door test.

9. After the data has been collected, the builder is provided with an evaluation report and an official label showing the EnerGuide rating of the home. This label should be attached to the home's electrical panel.

Blower Door Test

A large calibrated fan is inserted (and sealed) in the front door of the home.

Inside the home, sensors measure the increase in air pressure brought about by the fan. If the air pressure doesn't rise as expected (in keeping with fan's calibration), then the builder knows there are 'energy' leaks to find and fix.

Air moving through the leaks can help identify the problem areas. 

For more information on the EnerGuide rating system visit Natural Resources Canada

Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in the program.

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ENERGY STAR^® for New Homes:

Most Canadians are familiar with the ENERGY STAR label as a symbol of the quality and energy efficiency rating of a variety of products. ENERGY STAR for New Homes is an extension of that program into the home construction market.

Canada's Most Successful Energy Efficient Home Program  

Launched in 2005 in Ontario, ENERGY STAR for New Homes was quickly embraced by many of Ontario's professional homebuilders (and homebuyers) as a way to build better, greener housing. Today, over 600 builders across Ontario – including some of Canada's largest builders build ENERGY STAR homes. 

To qualify a home for ENERGY STAR for New Homes status, builders select from a series of building options that will improve the home's construction in a number of areas: 

• building envelope (walls, insulation, windows, doors, roofing)

• mechanical systems (high-efficiency furnaces, air conditioners coupled with heat recovery systems)

The program also encourages the use of ENERGY STAR qualified products, including light bulbs and fixtures; major appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines; and kitchen and bathroom ventilation systems for improved indoor air quality.

Evaluation

Since most ENERGY STAR improvements are invisible to the naked eye, homes can earn the ENERGY STAR for New Homes label only after on-site testing, inspection and verification by a neutral, third-party and independent Certified Energy Evaluator.

For more information, visit Natural Resources Canada.

Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in the program. 

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LEED^® Canada for Homes:  

LEED Canada for Homes is a standard designed to help builders to deliver energy and environmentally conscious new homes. It looks at new construction from a range of perspectives to reduce the overall environmental impact of the house. 

Builders across Canada are now incorporating LEED certification into new homes.

LEED Categories  

The LEED Canada for Homes rating system allows builders to earn points in 8 categories:

• Innovation and Design Process

  • This category is aimed at promoting an integrated, system approach to home design, so that efficiency in one area isn't a problem somewhere else.

• Indoor Environmental Quality

  • Important for the health of both occupants and the home itself, the indoor air quality, moisture control, etc., are critical aspects of new home design and construction.

• Location and Community

  • Where you build can affect a home's environmental impact.

• Materials and Resource Use

  • New building techniques call for new materials and more efficient use of traditional materials.

• Indoor and Outdoor Water Efficiency

  • Strategies for water reuse, rain capture and usage reduction are important for minimizing a home's environmental impacts.

• Energy Efficiency

  • The cornerstone of any green building plan is finding ways to use less energy. LEED homes employ a number of different strategies.

• Site Sustainability

  • Minimize any long-term environmental damage to the site throughout the construction process, and design site to maximize environmental advantages.

• Awareness and Education

  • An informed homeowner (or tenant) is a key factor in environmental efficiency.

For more information, visit Canada Green Building Council - LEED Canada 

Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in the program.

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R-2000 – A Canadian Breakthrough

 The R-2000 concept was developed in the mid-1970s as the result of a research project tasked with developing ways to build energy-efficient homes that were comfortable and healthy to live in during harsh winter months. The outcome? A major evolution in building science that is still used today: the “house as a system.”

The theory behind the house as a system is that the flow of air, heat and moisture in a home is affected by the interaction of all its components. Everything works together and changes in one area affects all others.

An R-2000 home is carefully built to minimize uncontrolled airflow, but the indoor environment is also carefully balanced by employing advanced heating, ventilating and air conditioning design and technology.

The R-2000 standard is frequently updated to reflect current building science advancements and research.

Third-Party Testing

Every R-2000 home is subject to a strict independent quality assurance process of testing and verification from blueprint to completion. Once an R-2000 home has complied with all tests and inspections, an R-2000 certificate is awarded by the government of Canada.

The R-2000 standard does not specify how a house must be built, but is a set of strict technical requirements for how a house must perform, including stringent standards for energy efficiency, indoor air quality and resource conservation.

Since its inception, thousands of R-2000 homes have been built and thousands of building professionals have been trained and certified by the federal government.

Internationally, R-2000 technology has also been embraced – with homes built in the U.S. , Japan, Poland, Russia, Germany and most recently in England.

For more information, visit  Natural Resources Canada.

Be sure to ask your builder or renovator if he or she is participating in the program.

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