St. John’s has its most recent ENERGY STAR® certified new home. On June 9th, members of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (CHBA-NL), ERCO Homes and AmeriSpec NL, conducted final blower door testing on 37 Stanford Place, St. John’s NL so that it could be deemed ENERGY STAR® certified.
Consumers are looking for more than just a nice home. They are asking for a home that is more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. “There is an emerging trend in new home construction in our market place” says Victoria Belbin, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – NL “consumers are becoming more aware of the benefits of energy efficiency as the cost of housing increases and the industry is responding.”
The investment in energy efficiency is long lasting. “A small investment in energy efficiency can go a long way for every consumer, we build certified ENERGY STAR homes that consumers can afford whether it’s a starter home or a custom home.” stated Sheldon Colbourne, General Manager of ERCO Homes, “buyers today are beginning to recognize the value of investing in a more energy efficient home because they are less costly to operate than other homes on the market and they are more environmentally sustainable.”
“A lot of planning goes into a house before it can be deemed ENERGY STAR” says Colbourne “each home is constructed with energy-efficient design guidelines and using the latest building science methods and techniques available to the industry and we install ENERGY STAR qualified heating, lighting and appliances.”
To be deemed ENERGY STAR certified, the home needs to be tested by an energy auditor that is certified by Natural Resources Canada. “A blower door test like we demonstrated here today measures the actual house air change rate” says Brad Dunn of AmeriSpec NL “This rate is then inputted in the HOT2000 energy model to determine the actual as built “N” evaluation and the EnerGuide Rating System for the house. As we saw today, this house met an air change rate of 1.4 and thus meets the required regulations to receive the ENERGY STAR certification”.
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association for Newfoundland and Labrador is the voice of the province’s residential construction industry. Membership includes new home builders, renovators, developers, trade contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, lenders and other professionals. The CHBA-NL works towards protecting housing affordability and enhances the professionalism of the industry.
