Is Your Home Energy Efficient? How to Save Energy and Money

Published on April 09, 2019

An energy efficient home is an affordable home, and by making improvements to your home’s building envelope, you can significantly reduce your monthly utility payments. Many homeowners are unaware if their home would be considered efficient or inefficient, but with BSG’s help, the exact level of energy efficiency in their home can be determined, and a list of possible home improvements can be drafted.

If you have been considering making energy efficiency improvements to reduce your home’s energy usage and utility bill payments, the first thing you should do is have a Home Energy Assessment conducted by one of BSG’s experienced Registered Energy Advisors. The information they include in the assessment not only indicates exactly how energy efficient your home is, but it also includes a list of suggestions of how you can save energy and money through energy efficiency upgrades.

Building Science Can Help You Save Energy and Improve Your Health

‘Building science’ is the term used to refer to the collective information known about how a building or home operates. This includes things like: how a building handles air flow to maximize air quality, how efficiently a building’s mechanical and electrical systems function, and how lighting systems should be used to prevent fatigue and eye strain.

As your renovation experts, BSG’s Registered Energy Advisors are experienced and knowledgeable about all aspects of building science, making them the right choice regarding home improvement planning and energy efficiency upgrades. This means that they are able to walk you through every part of your home renovation or remodelling process, ensuring that your home is optimized effectively and that you will save energy. They can even determine the expected energy and financial savings of each potential energy efficiency improvement, allowing you to make an informed decision regarding your future upgrades.

A home that is free from moisture build-up, mould, and airborne contaminants is a home that has been built or improved with building science in mind. By making improvements to your home’s level of insulation, airtightness, and/or ventilation, you can take control of your home’s air quality and mould prevention measures. A Home Energy Assessment can determine the best and most cost-effective methods for improving your home’s building envelope, helping you not only maintain or regain control of your interior air quality, but also helping you figure out which upgrades would net you the biggest improvements to your home’s level of comfort and energy efficiency per dollar of investment.

Becoming More Energy Efficient Through Home Improvements

Great Northern Insulation recently conducted a survey which included feedback from past customers, and over 29 percent of homeowners responded that they are unsure of how well insulated their attic is. After conducting numerous Home Energy Assessments for our customers, we noticed that attic insulation improvements continually ranked at the top of the list as the most cost-effective way the homeowner could improve their home’s energy efficiency.

Due to the stack effect, a poorly air sealed and insulated home can be significantly less comfortable and energy efficient than a well insulated and air sealed one. The stack effect happens most significantly in a home that has a number of unsealed leaks - especially those near the base or foundation - as the hotter interior air is repeatedly replaced by cooler exterior air drawn in from the base, forcing the home’s climate controlled air out any cracks in the attic.

By improving not only air sealing, but also attic insulation, the stack effect can be largely avoided or mitigated in many homes - keeping the climate controlled air where it should be. Often times, both air sealing and attic insulation improvements are able to be done for little cost, and they can even help you qualify for home renovation rebates from Union Gas and Enbridge.

Great Northern Insulation’s survey also indicated that 14 percent of homeowners were unsure of how well insulated their windows are, and 27 percent responded the same about their home’s walls. There are a number of different ways that a home’s insulation and energy efficiency can be improved, and with a Home Energy Assessment, every possible way is identified and calculated to determine the expected financial and energy savings of each potential improvement.

A Registered Energy Advisor Can Help With the Problems You Can't See and Save You Energy

A home’s level of comfort, interior air quality, utility cost, and even market value are all tied into the energy efficiency of the home. Many aspects of improving or maintaining energy efficiency in a home involves monitoring and examining unseen qualities, such as: insulation hidden behind walls or ceilings, air leaks that are too small to notice without an Airtightness Test, or the actual operational costs of appliances and the HVAC system.

These hidden qualities may be able to be greatly improved to help you save energy, but without the help and experience of a Registered Energy Advisor, it can be easy to overlook and underestimate their effectiveness. Air quality could also be suffering from unseen problems such as moisture build-up, mould, or the intrusion of pollen and smoke, but with a Home Energy Assessment and/or Airtightness Test, every area of unwanted air exchange can be identified and dealt with.

Every upgrade you make that improves your home’s energy efficiency, air sealing, and intentional ventilation improves the comfort and quality of life for you and your family at home. Those with asthma, prior respiratory issues, the elderly, and the young are more susceptible to health complications due to air quality concerns, but by contacting BSG and talking to one of our Registered Energy Advisors, you can take the first step towards making your home more comfortable, safe, and have lower utility bills.

There is no need to wonder how you can save energy and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions - our Registered Energy Advisors can determine the most effective and affordable method specific to your home, allowing you to make the right choice to fit you and your family’s needs, your budget, and your lifestyle.