EnerGuide and You: New Rating Scale, Same Great Savings!
By Corey McCloskey, Customer Response Team Representative
There are times in life where one good turn deserves another: The encore when you went to see your favourite band play live. The double down on a hard 11 at the blackjack table. Buy one, get one free of anything (even if you’ll never use it). Twins, Basil! 2016 was the year of the EnerGuide 80 package and, in the words of country legend Alan Jackson, too much of a good thing is still a good thing; here at Cedarglen Homes, we’ve got a good thing going on!
For the uninitiated, EnerGuide is the official mark of the Government of Canada for its energy performance rating and labeling program for key consumer items. In the world of residential construction, an EnerGuide rating is derived from a variety of factors, such as construction materials used, mechanical and household appliances, even the orientation of your lot. These variables are punched into energy modelling software, along with the data from an on-site blower door test, completed by a certified energy efficiency professional, and applied to a rating system.
The ‘80’ in last year’s EnerGuide 80 package refers to the rating system used prior to this year. With energy-efficiency having moved to the forefront in our society, including new home construction, an ambiguous rating system leaves many with questions, such as “what does 80 even mean?” To eliminate the mystery, EnerGuide is revamping the system, which will now reflect the estimated annual gigajoule usage of a new home.
Image courtesy of Natural Resources Canada
This fun little image provides us with some context on what’s required to use a gigajoule of energy, and it’s even more useful when we consider the average Canadian home uses 100 gigajoules of energy per year. The estimated gigajoule usage included with your EnerGuide rating report you receive from us falls on a colour-coded scale, with the median value on the scale representing the average 100 gigajoule Canadian home.
What does that mean to you, the savvy Cedarglen homeowner that you are? Sorry for getting your hopes up, but very little else has changed, aside from quantifying the energy usage of your home, and the knowledge that a lower number on your EnerGuide sticker is a good thing. The good news is that our exceptional energy efficiency specifications from last year’s EnerGuide 80 package remain unchanged.
- R50 attic insulation provides a higher R-value and minimizes the transfer of heat.
- Triple pane insulating glass provides added performance benefits, as it features additional glass and airspace for improved insulation.
- R20 Basement exterior wall insulation provides a higher R-value and minimizes the transfer of heat.
- Energy Star rated HRV expels stale indoor air while cool fresh air is drawn into the HRV and warmed by the heated aluminum core before being delivered to the rest of the home.
- Tankless water heater heats water directly without the use of a storage tank.
- 95% high efficiency furnace.
- 2lb spray foam to rim joists, 1/2lb spray foam around windows and doors, as well as spray foam to all exterior penetrations.
- Wood backing and acoustic seal to potlights and bath fans.
- Airtight electrical boxes with gaskets to exterior walls
If you thought you missed out on Cedarglen’s EnerGuide package, you’re in luck, so get out to our new showhomes in Livingston, on the double!
Have a great weekend,
Cedarglen