INCREASED INCENTIVES FOR ENERGUIDE 80

Starting from 15th September Fortis BC are partnering with BC Hydro to offer increased incentives through the BC Hydro Power Smart program. If you get your home built to Energuide 80 there will now be $2000 up for grabs. This also applies to homes using either electricity or gas as the primary heating fuel.

New details for the home energy grants.

To get an appointment for an energy evaluation the homeowner must get registered with NRCan. To do this either go to oee.nrcan.gc.ca/register or phone 1-800 O Canada. Having now received your registration number you can now contact me for your evaluation.

Federal Government to continue Eco- energy grants.

In the Budget of June 6th the federal government announced that they intend to carry on with the Eco-action energy grants for homeowners. A start date for the scheme should be announced shortly.

BC LIVESMART INCENTIVES TO CONTINUE

Announced today, the continuation of the BC LiveSmart Home Energy Improvement incentives. After looking over the new grants I feel that the program is much better balanced than in previous versions. There is a lot more emphasis, and increased grants, for insulation and air tightness, something that was lacking before.
So, now the weather is improving, it may be time to start those renovations. Give me a call to book your first energy evaluation and get yourself into the LiveSmart program.

BC HYDRO EXTEND ENERGUIDE 80 INCENTIVES

BC Hydro have recently confirmed that they are extending their $1500 payment to new, Energuide 80 homes built up to the end of 2011. Their Power Smart program also lists several other incentives for appliances, lighting etc.

Kimberley Sustainable Building and Living Conference

Having participated in this event last weekend (Jan 28-29th) I was very happy, and encouraged to see that the spirit of the Kootenays is alive and well when it comes to matters of sustainability and energy efficiency, and I must congratulate Wildsight, and in particular Erna Jensen-Shill, for their excellent commitment for a second year.
There were many very informative workshops covering a wide range of topics from Tang Lee's Healthy Homes through to Permaculture Design for the Land, and just about anything else in between.
It was good to see other building techniques and materials being promoted and discussed other than "mainstream products". Straw bale building, in particular, has a strong following in this area and I met our local 'straw bale man' The Big Bad Wolf. Another friend, who also presented workshops, was Paula Kiss, who runs the excellent Building Tree in Nelson, a source of all things green. I was also lucky enough to have time to chat with the much respected Murray Frank about the upcoming BC Building Code changes, changes long overdue in my opinion.
Greenman Sustainable Building were also exhibiting their range of Solar panels and the Brac Greywater Recycling Systems and, as Greenman are in both Nelson and Invermere, they have the area covered well.
Also from Invermere were Quiniscoe Homes who have some excellent sustainable construction credentials.     So, all in all,  a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to next year.

GOT SNOW, TIME TO CHECK OUT YOUR ATTIC INSULATION.

Sat here watching the snow coming down reminds me of the easy, and cheap, way to check out attic insulation.
Have a look around your neighborhood and see which roof melts off  first, a sure sign that there is excess air leakage into the attic, not enough insulation, or both.
This can have many adverse effects. Large heating bills, moisture in the attic space and not to mention roof damage from the inevitable ice damming, caused by the snow melting from the warmed roof and then refreezing when it reaches the eaves. Yes, the resulting icicles do sometimes look quite spectacular but, really, not what you want.
And the moral of the story, seal up the ceiling as well as you can and add plenty of insulation to the attic. Keep those heating bills low.

Sustainable Building and Living Conference

Come along and meet with me to discuss how to reduce both your energy costs and carbon footprint at the
Sustainable Building and Living Conference in Kimberley on the 28th and 29th Jan.