Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an ENERGY STAR qualified Home?
2. What is an R-2000 certified home?
3. What is an EnerGuide for New Homes rating?
4. What is the difference between ENERGY STAR, R-2000 and EnerGuide for New Homes ratings?
5. What are the benefits of owning an ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified home?
6. What type of savings can I expect from an ENERGY STAR, R-2000 or EnerGuide for New Homes rating of 80 or above home?
1. What is an ENERGY STAR qualified Home?
An ENERGY STAR qualified home is a home that has been built by a licensed ENERGY STAR for New Homes builder who incorporates resource efficient features into the home so that it can meet technical specifications. Upon completion of the qualified new home, an independent ENERGY STAR for New Homes evaluator verifies that the home has been built to technical specifications. After the verification process is complete, Natural Resources Canada issues an ENERGY STAR for New Homes label and certificate to the homeowner. The label is usually placed on the home’s electrical panel and includes a seal of authenticity. The ENERGY STAR for New Homes technical specifications have been customized for Saskatchewan.
2. What is an R-2000 certified home?
Developed in partnership with Canada’s residential construction industry, R-2000 is an initiative of NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency. Its aim: to promote the use of cost-effective energy-efficient building practices and technologies. Since being introduced the R-2000 standard has set the benchmark for home building in Canada. The standard is continually upgraded through ongoing research to ensure that the R-2000 standard remains at the leading edge of cost-effective energy-efficient construction technology.
R-2000 homes can be built only by builders trained and licensed by the Government of Canada through Resource Efficient Housing Incorporated in Saskatchewan. Once the home is inspected and certified the homeowner will receive an R-2000 sticker for the electrical panel that will include the R-2000 certificate number specific to their home.
3. What is an EnerGuide for New Homes rating?
EnerGuide for New Homes rating of 80 or above is recommended primarily for people who are constructing a new home on their own without going through a registered Saskatchewan Home Builder. Anyone can claim that a house is energy efficient, but an EnerGuide for New Houses label proves it. Developed by Natural Resources Canada, EnerGuide for New Houses is a rating system to measure a home’s energy performance.
Your home’s energy efficiency level is rated on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating of 0 represents a home with major air leakage, no insulation and extremely high energy consumption. A rating of 100 represents a house that is airtight, well insulated and sufficiently ventilated and requires no purchased energy. To qualify for the rebate, your home must meet a minimum rating of 80.
**If you plan to build your home to this energy efficient standard please contact Resource Efficient Housing Inc (REHI) prior to starting construction.
The EnerGuide rating service starts with an analysis of your new house plans by an EnerGuide rating service energy advisor. The advisor recommends energy-saving upgrades and works with you to develop a report that lists various cost-effective options. When construction is done, the EnerGuide advisor verifies the applied energy upgrades and performs testing to ensure your home has met the requirements. A certificate will be issued showing your New Home EnerGuide rating.
4. What is the difference between ENERGY STAR, R-2000 and EnerGuide for New Homes ratings?
To homebuyers there are subtle differences but to builders there is a significant difference. ENERGY STAR, R-2000 and EnerGuide for New Homes rating of 80 or above homes provide different methods to design and verify resource efficient new housing.
All three types of homes are all highly energy efficient and environmentally responsible and are designed to achieve similar levels of energy efficiency.
5. What are the benefits of owning an ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified home?
You can be assured that your ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified new home has been built to strict technical specifications by a licensed builder and that it has been verified by an independent energy evaluator to ensure state-of-the-art performance. You will benefit from it in a variety of ways:
Lower cost - You will be pleased to see the monthly energy savings in an ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified new home. If you pay a mortgage, these savings will more than compensate for any additional costs that may be charged initially for the energy-saving features.
Improved air quality = health and comfort - Air movement in your house, especially in winter, causes drafts that make you feel uncomfortable. You will quickly notice the difference in an ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified home. Higher levels of air tightness and a heat recovery ventilation system (HRV) give you a greater sense of coziness as they keep indoor air fresh and maintain humidity at the level you find comfortable.
Less energy expended = fewer pollutants - Homes account for 17 percent of all energy use in Canada. As ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified homes are more energy- efficient than standard code built houses, they can help reduce air pollution and lessen other environmental problems, such as climate change.
6. What type of savings can I expect from an ENERGY STAR, R-2000 or EnerGuide for New Homes rating of 80 or above home?
You expect to save the following with the purchase of an energy efficient home:
Energy efficient homes are 30-40% more efficient than homes built to minimum standards which equals annual savings of $800 to $1,000 in energy costs
