Buyers Warming Up to Green Living

Energy-efficient home is not only good for environment, it can also lower utility bills

Darcy Keith, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 (Vancouver Sun)

Given the ever-present threat of climate change, homebuyers are warming up to the idea of energy-efficient housing.

It's not only beneficial to the environment, but it can help lower the aggravation in paying the monthly utility bills.

A new federal housing initiative now aims to prove those bills can be brought down to virtually nothing by building homes that can produce as much energy during a year as they consume. It's enough to have any homeowner turn green with envy.

A recent Investors Group survey showed an overwhelming 82 per cent of Canadians plan to change their behaviour and adopt green practices. That's especially true if "going green" will save them money, with 63 per cent willing to spend up to $10,000 in changes to their homes to reduce annual energy costs by 25 per cent.
Meanwhile, research by J.D. Power & Associates found that 84 per cent of homebuyers say energy efficiency is extremely or somewhat important to their purchase decision.

For the new homebuyer, spending more now on a new energy-efficient home will save a lot of time and money in doing future upgrades, and it's clear more Canadians are going that route. The Energy Star energy-efficient home program, for instance, recently had its 10,000th house enrolled in Ontario. Energy Star, used in both Ontario and Saskatchewan, is just one of several federal or provincial programs that target green housing.

It all started with Natural Resources Canada's R-2000 program more than 20 years ago, the first to devise stringent requirements for air tightness, increased insulation and ventilation. It never became a huge commercial success and remains voluntary, despite being responsible for the construction of over 10,000 energy-efficient homes across Canada and setting industry standards.

While still in its infancy, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s EQuilibrium project could be the country's most ambitious energy-efficient housing program to date.
Its goal is to demonstrate homes can be built having net zero energy consumption, by integrating solar technology and on-site renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating and ground-source heat. Like other energy-efficient homes, they will feature extra thick insulation and triple- or even quadruple-pane windows. During certain times of the year when energy demands are low, the homes should produce excess electricity that will go into a reservoir that can be consumed when power demands are greater.

It's believed though that over time, savings in utility bills should offset the higher purchase price. The payback time for any energy-efficient home can vary greatly, depending on location and climate, the degree of energy efficiency, and what technology is used, among other factors.