There are a few popular choices for measuring efficiency. I'll talk a bit about LEED, R-2000, Energuide and EnergyStar certifications.
R-2000
This is a widespread proven home efficiency certification system with homes that are built way above code requirements in many areas. With the R-2000 system, the home is either certified as R-2000 or it isn't. Builders need to be licensed to build R-2000 homes and homes need to be a certain level of efficiency for their climate and location. The houses must have safe heating, ventilation, conserve water and will have certain chosen features from a list of options for improving air quality and being environmentally friendly.
Potential downfalls that we heard about were that R-2000 was developed over 25 years ago and with current technology, we can shoot for much more than R-2000 certification. Another downfall is that the certification system does not have levels of efficiency in the sense that once it meets criteria, doing more to further improve efficiency in the home is not something that will be measured. Others state that the whole concept of creating an airtight home is flawed and based off old technology and can lead to moisture problems, however the R-2000 certification has been updated to address this.
- More on R-2000 here
- Here's a article stating why we shouldn't do R-2000 homes
- Here's an article on the man behind R-2000, who lives in Saskatoon
LEED
LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design". It is a system of standards developed by the US Green Building Council in 1994. Several versions have come about since then. The main points from my understanding are that LEED in Canada is still mainly for commercial projects and the standards are sometimes the same regardless of where you live. It is also based off a points system whereby a given technology or product placed in the home is worth so many points. Products that have high point values may only be beneficial in Arizona and be inappropriate for use in the prairies so that has to be kept in mind. The other obstacle is that you need a LEED certified provider to build the home and I am not aware of any in Saskatchewan for residential. I found the LEED website in Canada confusing to say the least. I had a hard time finding any information for building a home. While this standard is well publicized and there are levels of certification to suit your style, I just don't feel that its nearly established enough in the Prairies for residential homes. If anyone has any experience with LEED I'd love to hear about it.
- Some information on LEED here
Energuide
Vereco used the Energuide rating system. For one, it was easy- there are companies that are certified to provide these ratings locally. Two, we love the 0-100 rating scale with benchmarks for homes built to code. 100 is the top score and requires the home to be airtight, insulated, ventilated and not require any purchased energy. See below for the table comparing ratings. It is simple and easily readable for the average person. Forms are available that provide projected energy costs, projected consumption and projected green house gas emissions. They will also provide some comparisons based on electrical vs natural gas heat and a percentage and dollar value amount of savings. A comparison for us was made between the equivalent home built to Saskatchewan building code standards and then to our home with all passive house features built in. We think this is a system that anyone could use for any house whether new or retrofitted.
- More on this from the Government of Canada website
- A list of service providers in Saskatoon here
Our home with passive design
|
Equivalent
home built to code
|
Savings
%
|
|
Energuide Score*
 |
87
|
62
|
N/A
|
Total
Energy Consumption in eKWhs/yr
|
15,930
|
53, 289
|
70%
|
Total
Energy Cost in $/yr
|
$233
|
$106
|
54%
|
Green
House Gas Emissions tonnes/year
|
287.70
|
784.50
|
63%
|
EnergyStar
I'll say just a quick word on EnergyStar. This system is relatively new, being implemented in 2012 and developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in the US. You need a certified builder for your home and to receive certification your home must be on average 20% more efficient than an equivalent home. I don't have much more information on this system and because it is so new I think it will take time before we start to see these types of homes. I feel this system has major potential though because it aims for moderate, cost-effective gains using a system that is already highly recognizable to people from the rating system being used everywhere in the appliance industry. There are also already several builders in the city certified to build these homes.
Conclusion
So you have choice- even on the praries! We really feel what's most important for the average person is that deciding to evaluate efficiency is important if you want to improve on a budget or for resale of the home. You should know where your home excels and where it doesn't and evaluation systems will help. It was awesome for us to see our efficiency rating laid out so we could see what our money bought. This helped us decide against solar panels initially because we observed that it was the least cost-effective option currently and our money would be better spent elsewhere for now. From discussions with Vereco (our house design company) our house would far exceed R-2000 standards which is why they go with the Energuide rating. From my reading, the house would also be above EnergyStar certification as well.
- A summary article discussing differences in standards in Saskatchewan is here
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