My Greener Homes Retrofits

Before starting my Greener Homes retrofits, I needed a Pre-Retrofit Audit. The audit is pretty interesting. They take measurements, look at your insulation and then do a blower door test. The blower door test puts your house under negative pressure and while it is running you can walk around your house and find out where outside air is getting into your house.

When the report from my audit was completed it included an EnerGuide label, an information sheet explaining how and where my house uses energy and a Renovation Upgrade Report. The upgrade report is the one that outlines your recommended upgrades. In order to be eligible for the grant and the loan, your upgrades must be on that list.

My Recommended Energy Efficiency Upgrades

With my recommended upgrades was and “Energy Efficiency Roadmap” which prioritizes upgrades by potential energy savings.

1. Upgrade heating system for a potential savings of 22 GJ/year by installing a new Energy Star certified air-source heat pump. Potential grant between $2500 and $5000.
2. Upgrade hot water system for a potential savings of 12 GJ/year by installing a new Energy Star certified electric heat pump water heater. Potential grant of $1000.
3. Insulate Foundation for a potential savings of 9 GJ/year. Potential grant up to $1300.
4. Perform air sealing to improve air tightness of home by 28% for a potential savings of 4 GJ/year. Potential grant $550-$1000.
5. Increase attic insulation for a potential savings of 2 GJ/year.

Greener Homes Retrofits I Chose

Before applying for the Greener Homes Grant, I had already decided one of the retrofits I wanted to complete was installing a heat pump. This had the benefit of adding centralized air conditioning, reducing my dependency on Natural Gas and my dependency on an aging furnace.

Encapsulating my crawlspace was also something I really wanted to do. Not many people would consider crawlspace encapsulation sexy, but as the person crawling in and out of mine to change furnace filters, I do. I have a dirt crawlspace with minimal clearance and tons of spiders. Looking at pictures online showing clean white plastic instead of dirt has a definite appeal. Encapsulating the crawlspace would reduce household humidity and adding spray foam insulation to the crawlspace would seal up a lot of drafts.

Next up in this journey – getting quotes!