Posts Tagged ‘ventilation’

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.

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.

ENERGY STAR® bathroom room fans are an important part of a home’s ventilation system. In the past, bathroom fans have been mostly recognized for their indoor air quality and health benefits. They remove odours from the house and improve indoor air quality. They also remove moisture, which decreases the level of humidity in the house. High humidity can damage building materials and can cause mold growth. In addition to indoor air quality and health, there are numerous energy-saving benefits to improving the ventilation system and these benefits are outlined below.

ENERGY-EFFICIENCY

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) estimates that ENERGY STAR® qualified ventilation fans, use on average, 65% less energy than standard current models. Right now, it’s difficult to quantify the energy-savings against older fans (15+ years) since, the equipment does not contain the energy-rating system that is available on current models. With that being said, annual savings of up to 6 – 7% of heating costs can be achieved by using economical ventilation fans rather than opening windows. Also, operating the ventilation fan continuously can cost less than $20 a year and will save hundreds in heating costs.

In addition, it’s estimated that bathroom fans utilizing a DC motor reduce the energy consumption by about 80% (under continuous operation) compared to older fans (15+years). Additionally, new bathroom fans are required to meet performance standards whereas older fans are not. Therefore, we know that we get significantly better air-flow, thus reducing energy consumption.

NOISE, INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HEALTH

Aside from energy-consumption, we’ve found that because of the “noise” caused by older fans, people aren’t using the existing equipment. Therefore, when you choose to open windows in order to ventilate your residence it wastes more energy. By using a bathroom fan to regulate air-flow, we’ll reduce consumption because it controls evacuation of stale and damp air. It’s a well known principle of building science that tells us that it costs more to heat cold, damp air versus the heating of fresh air regulated by a bathroom fan.

In terms of indoor air quality, lack of adequate ventilation sometimes has negative repercussions on the health of a home’s occupants. Pollutants and dampness trapped inside a house can cause serious respiratory problems and lead to the deterioration of the building’s structure.

If you are interested in improving the ventilation in your home and would like to find out more about bathroom fans, book a free in-home consultation, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700. Stay tuned for a new addition to our website on Ventilation and Insulation coming soon!

With “Going Green” being the latest trend in home improvement, many people want to take part but often do not know where to start. Having an ecoEnergy audit preformed on your house can be a great first step and help provide a clear step-by-step plan to upgrading your home in an energy-efficient manner.

An ecoEnergy audit is preformed by an outside organization’s certified energy adviser and the assessment will evaluate the energy efficiency of your home. The focus of the initial audit will be on windows, doors, the heating system and insulation and typically takes around two hours and costs around $150 per visit. A “blower door” test is completed in order to determine if there are any air leaks, a major contributor to heat loss.

Once the assessment is finished the certified energy adviser will present you with a report which will provide you with an analysis of the amount of energy you are using, where and will provide solutions to better allocate your “energy dollars” to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Accompanying the report will also be a rating of you home of how it compares to others with respect to energy efficiency.

By implementing the recommended upgrades it will allow you to reduce cold drafts of your home, identify moisture problems, improve your home’s ventilation, reduce overall energy use and save money on your energy bills.

These audits are done by organizations that are unaffiliated with Homeworks therefore, will give you a completely objective measure of your home. After, you have completed your upgrades you call the certified energy advisers back to assess the improvement of energy efficiency in your home. Having these tests done will typically qualify you for ecoEnergy federal grants and other incentives.

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.