energy-efficient-home-new-brunswick / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Naugler House: the most energy efficient Passive House design in New Brunswick
Efficient home design

New Brunswick's most energy efficient home is Passive House designed

With a heating bill of $77 CAD for an entire winter, the Naugler House is without a doubt the most energy-efficient home in New Brunswick. Not only will it save money long-term, it is saving money right now, as the monthly savings on utilities outweigh the added mortgage cost for energy-efficient upgrades to Passive Ho...

Smart homes: Remotely control and monitor your energy consumption
Efficient home design

Smart homes: efficiency, comfort & convenience at our fingertips

So what is a smart home? When paired with intelligent and connected home devices, the phones that most of us carry in our pockets can make our homes safer, more comfortable and durable, and reduce our home energy consumption by as much as 30% if carefully configured and specified. Heating systems and lights can be turn...

What is a Free Home Energy Audit Canada?
Grants and incentives

Free home energy audits in Canada

What is the free home energy audit? Breaking News: New Canada Greener Homes Grant Scheme 2021 announced - see here for how to apply and eligibility requirements  An energy audit is a home inspection that calculates the total energy consumption of your house, including all electricity and fossil fuels for lighting, appl...

How radiant floors work
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized

How to design for thermal comfort in a home

Have you ever noticed that at times you can feel cold in your home even though the air temperature is exactly where you like to keep it? That's because, contrary to what most of us think, air temperature is not the main factor that determines human comfort in a building. To illustrate a point, let's start outdoors. I m...

Electricity

Lights, appliances and all things electrical

There are a lot of options to consider when shopping for appliances, designing home lighting, and heating your home. These pages outline some things you can do that will help reduce your consumption, and despite what is sometimes a higher sticker price, usually save you money. Home lighting There are many factors that ...

Passive solar heating & cooling in Homes has a long history in USA
Passive solar home design

Passive house and passive solar - free heat for homes

What is Passive Solar Heating & Cooling? Passive heating and cooling of homes is not new. The above image is of Mesa Verde National Park, the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in Colorado, occupied from 700 to 1300 AD. This early North American settlement was shaded from the summer sun, but fully exposed to the su...

Real estate

Are you selling a house? Here are the top 10 things homebuyers look for

A market study by AVID Ratings Canada for the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) surveyed 12,000 homebuyers across Canada to see what Canadians are looking for when they go house shopping. We were pleased but not at all surprised by the results - here they are: The top 10 assets that homebuyers value: 1. Walk-i...

Are low-flow shower heads worth the money?
Bathrooms

Are low-flow shower heads worth the money?

Are low flow shower heads worth it? So, let's start with this somewhat shocking reality -  North Americans will on average use over 1.4 million litres of water per year, or about 4 to 5 times that of most European citizens. This is according to the SDWF (Safe Drinking Water Foundation). That makes Canada and the US the...

Energy Star High efficiency appliances
Appliances

Efficient appliances and electronics - why to choose Energy Star Certified

Even when sitting idle, almost all TVs, computers and stereos etc., will still be using power. So any added cost for high efficiency appliances and electronics gets recouped however frequently or infrequently that they are used.   Whatever small appliance and electronic item you are looking at, there is likely at least...

Real estate

Real estate

For most of us, purchasing or building a home will be the biggest investment of our lives. This section is about knowing what to look for in new homes to get the best value for your dollar, or what to look for in a building lot for the same reasons. What to look for in a location: Being close to where you work and pla...

Passive House wall system ; Larsen Trusses & dense-packed cellulose insulation
Wall assemblies - new construction

Larsen truss wall systems with double-stud construction & extra insulation for new homes & energy efficient home renovation

Larson truss wall systems for new green home building & renovations for max wall insulation A Larsen Truss is a type of lightweight & non structural double-stud wall assembly that allows for thicker insulation, is ideal for dense-packed cellulose insulation wall systems and a very high R-value building envelope...