Archive for the ‘Energy Efficiency’ Category

On Saturday June 5th the community in Burnaby Heights joined together for their annual parade and celebrations. Historically, over 40, 000 people have attended this joyous event, and this year was no exception. Many people came out to enjoy the parade and browse through and support the local shops. There was plenty of entertainment for families and locals to appreciate.

The sun was shining Saturday morning and Solace Homeworks participated in the parade by entering in a decorated vehicle. We also had some young and fit Homeworks men handing out contest forms for our great prizes. We gave away an electric fireplace, an outdoor patio heater and a better home protection plan. Congratulations to the contest winners!

The Homeworks showroom had quite the buzz around it after the contest forms were handed out and inquiring people looking for energy efficient solutions stopped by. If you have any questions call 604.697.5700 or visit one of our showrooms. The event was such a success that we are excited for next year to see bigger and better things!

The LiveSmart BC program is a provincial run initiative that provides rebates and incentives for your home! BC recently announced $35 million dollars in new funding over a span of 3 years to be allocated to this Efficiency Incentive Initiative from the 2010 budget. The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is currently working with its utility partners to finalize the structure of the new program.

Details on the program are expected to be announced very shortly. We will continue to post updates as they become available to clear up any misunderstanding of the program. For the homeowner who are currently in the LiveSmart Program there is no change. All homeowners who entered the LiveSmart program by having their pre-retrofit home energy assessment performed prior to end of business on August 15, 2009, and who complete their post-retrofit home energy assessment within 18 months after they had their first home energy assessment, will still be eligible for the rebates and incentives from the initial LiveSmart BC program. Find out more.

Recently we had a customer contact us, expressing their satisfaction for a job well done. Homeworks would like to share this story with you to help give some insight as to what you can expect in your next Homeworks experience.

Garry and Angela Lester were looking for someone who could look after their heating/cooling requirements in the new home they were building and realized that Homeworks’ house-as-a-system approach was a perfect fit. They decided to go with our organization after meeting with our knowledgeable and personable sales staff. In addition, Homeworks “is better quality of service for the price I was paying comparing to other companies” says Garry.

Chris Breadner was the Sales Consultant that guided Garry through his new build installation experience. Chris gave expert ideas as to how all of the products the Lester’s were interested in could best interact and function in their new home. The Lester’s purchased a Bryant 95s multi-stage variable speed 95% efficient furnace to provide back up heat for the Bryant two stage heat pump. Garry and Angela Lester went with ISO board foundation walls that gave them an R-50 rating in the basement walls. This combined with the R-20 in the upper floor walls and R-50 in the attic meant the heat loss/gain was very low. Given these properties, Chris recommended an Eneready HRV system that was much smaller than most equipment for a house this size for continuous ventilation and high efficiency heat filter.

Bryant Two-Stage Heat Pump

HRV in Crawl Space

HVAC System

HRV Ventilation Ducts

Attic Insulation (R-50 Rating)

All in all, this was a successful experience for the Lester’s and even though there were some unexpected issues the Lester’s experienced as there is with any job; Chris’s “level of knowledge reassured me and I was not worried” says Garry Lester.

Garry exclaimed that “Chris’ level of knowledge was superior to most people I have come across and he did an excellent job of coordinating the whole process. He had an understanding of how things fit together and his product knowledge was superb. Chris Breadner truly understood the house as a system approach. He would answer my many phone calls and questions and was extremely good about dealing with other people working on our new build home. The staff at Homeworks are excellent and truly provide a consultative approach. It is definitely an advantage to have a company that deals with all aspects of a home when it comes to planning and implementation.”

We are happy that the Lester’s had such a positive experience with Homeworks and the next time you are looking to complete home upgrades or build a new home you will have an idea of the level of service you can expect from the Homeworks team!

If you are interested in Homeworks house-as-a-system approach, book a free in-home consultation, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700.

February 1st, 2010 marks the end of the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC). The program had an extremely successful run and provided those individuals with a one-year temporary 15% income tax credit up to $1,350 on eligible home renovation expenditures.

So you may be asking yourself, now that the HRTC is over what incentives do I have to renovate my home? For those of you who are interested in having upgrades done, their still is hope. The Federal ecoENERGY retrofit grants are available and you can save your money by undertaking renovations before the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) takes effect!

Under the ecoENERGY Retrofit program, homeowners can qualify for 25% more in federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, and reducing their home’s impact on the environment. The maximum grant you can receive for a single family home is $5,000.

The HST is fast approaching with a scheduled date of July 1st, 2010. This means that starting July the BC Government will be combining GST and PST into one harmonized tax and your home upgrades will cost you 7% more for the PST that was not charged previously.

For more details check out our Offers and Incentives page, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700 for any questions you may have related to the HRTC, the HST or any other home upgrade questions you may have.

Getting ready for the winter holidays can be a stressful time. Homeworks’ has put together some energy saving tips that will make it a little easier on your wallets and allow you to save on your energy bill this winter season. Not only, will you be helping yourselves but you will also be making a contribution to saving the environment. Here are 10 tips to reducing your energy bill:

* Stop opening the fridge or freezer-when deciding what to retrieve from the freezer or fridge try to open them scarcely and think about what you are getting before hand. Don’t over-stuff your freezer-it reduces the efficiency. Finally, ensure that your cooling coils on your refrigerator are cleaned regularly to ensure they always perform well.

* Keep the lid on-keep lids on pots while boiling and simmering to save energy. Also, instead of using your electric oven opt for the toaster oven for smaller items. Save on cooking time by thawing food completely and keep the oven door closed as much as you can.

* Fill that dishwasher-make sure your dishwasher is loaded correctly and fully loaded to ensure your dishes are cleaned properly. Wash dishes on the shortest wash cycle and let them air dry afterwords.

* Let a blanket be your best friend-an extra blanket or sweater works just as well as having the heat up really high and it saves money. Make sure doors to the outside are properly closed and use programmable thermostats to regulate heat when you’re not home.

* Let the sun shine in-open your blinds or curtains instead of turning lights on during the day. Switch your light bulbs to CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs) they are more energy efficient and last much longer.

* Cut your showers down- long hot showers and baths are nice but certainly a big contributor to your energy bill. Cut down your shower time and install low-flow shower heads and hot water heater timers. Putting an insulating cover for you water heater and pipes also adds to conservation.

* Insulate your house-an easy way to capture wasted energy is to have proper insulation in the home. Having your floors, wall and crawlspace properly insulated will impact your energy use immensely. Weather-stripping and sealing any gaps or cracks in doors and windows is also beneficial.

* Laundry you like- try to use detergent scarcely and use cold water whenever possible. Dryer sheets can be ripped in half and are still just as effective. Do not overload the dryer and try to let your clothes air dry.

* Computers sleep too- turn off your computer when you are not using it and turn down the brightness of your monitor when it is in use. Remember to turn off any additional equipment such as printers. Set your computers to go to ‘sleep mode’ when they are inactive.

If you are interested in improving the energy efficiency of your home, book a free in-home consultation, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700.