What is in the Future of EnerGuide for New Houses?
The Province of Nova Scotia wants to make all new homes more energy efficient. A proposal to increase the energy efficient standards in new houses was released Jan. 16, by Bill Dooks, Minister responsible for Conserve Nova Scotia, at the ENERhouse 2007 conference in Halifax. “The houses we build today will have the same energy requirements 15, 30 even 50 years down the road,” said Mr. Dooks. “We can help consumers save on long-term energy costs and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by improving our energy building codes today.” Under the Proposed “80 by 11” initiative, new homes could be required to display an EnerGuide rating by 2008. The EnerGuide rating system is measured on a scale of 1 to 100. No minimum standards exist, but the average energy rating of a home in Nova Scotia is 67. Beginning in 2009, all new homes could be required to achieve an energy rating of 72. In 2010, the minimum rating would increase to 77. In 2011, the minimum would be 80.
