A professional home energy assessment can maximize investment in your winter renovation project and unlock hidden incentives

Dec 15th, 2015 9:31 AM

MEDIA RELEASE A professional home energy assessment can maximize investment in your winter renovation project and unlock hidden incentives (December 10th, 2015, Toronto, ON) Home energy assessments are a useful and affordable tool to reduce your current energy bill. Informed consumers considering home renovations know that energy assessments are a cost-effective tool to help determine where best to invest their renovation dollars, help prioritize projects, and maximize available incentives. Vladan Veljovic, President and CEO of GreenSaver observed, “In fact, home energy assessments point to the best path forward in reducing heating and cooling bills, by helping you decide what is the best bang for your renovation dollar when it comes to your next home improvement project. Projects that increase the energy efficiency of your home include enhancing your insulation, new windows and doors, installing more efficient LED lighting, moving up to a new furnace or any number of other improvements.” GreenSaver is Ontario’s leading not-for-profit energy efficiency organization. For nearly 25 years it has delivered energy conservation programs for homeowners, government agencies and utilities, assisting homeowners and businesses across Ontario to reduce their energy and environmental footprint. Ontario homeowners doing energy efficient renovations may be eligible for both electricity and gas conservation incentives and rebates, as well as innovative financing arrangements. Examples include: various incentives and rebates for heating & cooling equipment and lighting, administered by your local electric utility and gas utility programs, such as Enbridge’s Community Energy Conservation Program. The financing options include various energy efficiency specific loans, such as the one offered by Pen Financial, through the GreenSaver Home Improvement Loan, in the Niagara area, and tax-based financing, such as the one offered by the City of Toronto, through its Home Energy Loan Program (HELP). Every GreenSaver energy assessment provides a general review of the whole house. These “attic-to-basement” inspections always include a home depressurization test (blower door test) that calculates how airtight your home is, identify problem areas and best places to begin renovations. The cost of the assessment may be offset by available incentives, and is generally recouped in the reduced renovation outlays. This year GreenSaver is offering a building diagnostics option, often referred to as a “home energy assessment on steroids.” Building diagnostic assessments include the use of an infrared camera coupled with a blower door test to ensure areas which are typically concealed from the naked eye, can now be accurately included in the assessment and recommendations. In addition it can provide critical information when considering significant renovations or when dealing with homes that standard procedures were not developed for. After each assessment is completed, you will receive a set of house-specific recommendations with a practical explanation of what they mean, plus a detailed report, with a series of in-depth colour infrared photos of problem areas in your house. “Having a professional energy audit,” added Veljovic, “can often be the difference in ensuring a successful and cost effective renovation project.” -30- For more information, or to schedule interviews, please contact: Amy Pound at Amy.Pound@greensaver.org or 416 203-3106 x 234 GreenSaver (www.greensaver.org) is Ontario’s leading not-for-profit energy efficiency organization. For nearly 25 years it has delivered energy conservation programs for homeowners, government agencies and utilities, assisting homeowners and businesses across Ontario to reduce their energy and environmental footprint. It has completed over 75,000 Home Energy Assessments and Building Diagnostics in Ontario and currently successfully delivers over 100 different (Conservation and Demand Management) CDM programs for nearly 50 utilities. GreenSaver is a trusted name in environmental energy efficiency with homeowners and businesses across the province.

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A professional home energy assessment can maximize investment in your winter renovation project and unlock hidden incentives

Dec 15th, 2015 9:31 AM