Housing Info
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Provides Home, Mortgage, Renovation Tips (and more) www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Grant
Eco-Energy Federal Government Grant Program - Take advantage of the new ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative to reduce energy use in buildings and houses, industry, personal vehicles and fleets. Homeowners and owners of small and medium-sized organizations can also apply for financial assistance from ecoENERGY Retrofit, as well as other grants and financial incentives www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca
Fact: an energy-efficient home saves its owners money every day, by reducing the cost of utilities needed to run that home. Newer windows and better insulation allows less heat to escape; low-flow showerheads and toilets use less water. A side benefit, of course, is that energy-efficient homes produce ewer harmful emissions and use less fossil fuel.
With many people concerned about saving money on energy costs and being considerate of the environment, you can provide a great service to your clients (whether they’re buying or selling) by informing them about the federal government’s ecoEnergy Retrofit program. This grant program can be invaluable to homeowners who want to lower their current energy costs, or who are thinking of putting their home on the market soon, and who know that many buyers are attracted to efficient homes.
Here’s how the ecoEnergy Retrofit program works:
The process begins with an energy audit of the home that must be conducted by a Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) licensed inspector. The Ontario government offers a subsidy for the audit, which costs an average of $300.
After the audit is complete, homeowners receive an itemized report that lists the retrofits that will improve their home’s energy efficiency, and advises them how much of a grant they would receive for each improvement. For example, installing a high-efficiency furnace comes with a grant of up to $500, while installing new windows is worth $30 per window. The program also includes grants for emerging technologies such as solar heating systems and water recovery ("grey water") systems.
In addition to the grants offered by the federal government, the province of Ontario provides matching grants for many energy retrofits, and consumers can fill out just one form to apply for both provincial and federal grants.
Homeowners have eighteen months from the date of their audit to complete as many of the suggested retrofits as they wish. Once they are done, they may submit their grant application. The maximum grant from the federal government is $5000, and it is a one-time grant, so all of the improvements homeowners plan to make must be completed before applying for the grant.
In addition to the immediate cost benefit of the grants, homeowners who retrofit their homes will experience an average savings of 23 per cent annually on their energy bills, according to NRCan.
For more information about the ecoEnergy Retrofit program, visit http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/.
Home Renovation Rebate
Follow this link: http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/pamphlet-depliant/pamphlet-depliant3-eng.asp
Advisory
Furnace Safety
A member called the Board to advise that a client had called a furnace repair service to fix her five-year-old furnace that had quit for no apparent reason. As it turned out, the furnace was equipped with a detector that would shut it off when no fresh air was available to the unit. The air intake valve was covered in snow, as was the exhaust vent, so no fresh air was available to the furnace. To ensure that you are not putting yourself or your family at risk, make sure during this snowy season that all of your intakes and vents are cleared of snow.
Air Exchange System
Risk of Overheating Causing Fire: This safety upgrade program covers model manufactured between 1991 and 2001 and between October 2006 and August 2007.
If you have a forced hot air system and you notice smoke / soot spillage on the ceiling, walls or drapes near any heating ducts or an unusual / combustion odour, it may be an indication of backdrafting or a compromised heat exchanger. Backdrafting is when the gases from combustion actually reverse themselves and enter the dwelling. A compromised heat exchanger is either cracked, rusted or burned through. Conditions may be found on any surface including the unit itself. This is potentially a sign of carbon monoxide entering your home and should be addressed immediately by consulting a heating expert.
Oil fired and gas fired furnaces that have been properly serviced and maintained, under normal conditions tend to have a life expectancy of approximately 20 years.
Don’t forget to reopen the dampers of your basement ducts if you closed them for the summer.
For List of Affected Units/Brand go to www.venmar.ca or call 1.866.441.4645 or mail SUP, 550 Lemire blvd, Drummondville, Quebec, Canada J2C 7W9
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