ENERGY STAR for New Homes

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Since 2001, Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's) Office of Energy Efficiency has promoted the international ENERGY STAR® symbol in Canada and monitored its use.

Products bearing the ENERGY STAR symbol help save energy, save money and protect the environment.

Any product or piece of equipment that displays the ENERGY STAR symbol is energy efficient and meets stringent technical specifications.

What are ENERGY STAR qualified new homes?

In 2005, NRCan expanded the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada to include energy-efficient new homes being built in Ontario. ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are approximately 30 to 40 percent more energy efficient than those built to minimum Ontario Building Code standards. The increased efficiency of these homes translates into reduced energy costs for homeowners.

What's involved?

Typical energy efficiency measures for these new homes include

• insulation upgrades
• higher-performance windows
• better draftproofing
• more efficient heating, hot water and airconditioning systems
• sealed ducts for better air distribution
• ENERGY STAR qualified appliances (if supplied by the builder)

The benefits to the new homeowner are

• lower energy bills
• improved comfort
• government-backed quality assurance
• lower impact on the environment
• higher resale value

ENERGY STAR and EnerGuide – a winning team!

For over 25 years, Canadians have relied on the EnerGuide label to compare and rate the energy consumption of household appliances and heating and cooling products sold in Canada. More recently, the EnerGuide scale is being used to rate vehicles and houses. Some of these products also qualify for an ENERGY STAR label for being "best in class" in energy efficiency.

These two labels offer clear choices to help consumers save energy and benefit the environment.

When you see the ENERGY STAR symbol on a new house, you know that it is an energyefficient new home that would receive an excellent EnerGuide rating.

ENERGY STAR for New Homes offers builders the tools to meet Canada's energy efficiency targets and to build homes that are more energy efficient and comfortable to live in. The Government of Canada's goal is to ensure that all new houses are built to the ENERGY STAR level of energy performance or the EnerGuide 80 rating by the year 2010.

ENERGY STAR and the environment

Today, 17 percent of the energy consumed in Canada is used to run our homes. Every time we use energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, we produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. An ENERGY STAR qualified new home reduces GHG emissions by approximately three tonnes per year.

Is there any financial help for new home buyers?

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers a 10 percent refund on its mortgage loan insurance premium when a borrower buys or builds an energy-efficient home. To qualify for this refund, the home's energy efficiency must meet certain minimum requirements. Visit CMHC's Web site at cmhc.ca or call 1 800 668-2642 for more information.

Who may I contact?

If you are a home builder interested in becoming an ENERGY STAR qualified builder in Ontario, contact EnerQuality Corporation at 1 866 412-3065 (toll-free) or at (416) 447-0077 or e-mail Corey McBurney.

If you are a home buyer wanting to purchase an ENERGY STAR labelled home in Ontario, visit our Web site at newhomes.gc.ca or ask your builder to contact EnerQuality Corporation to get involved.

To order publications on energy efficiency for new houses, call 1 800 387-2000.

The ENERGY STAR name and symbol are registered trademarks of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and are used with permission. The EnerGuide name and graphic identifier are official trademarks of Natural Resources Canada.

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency Leading Canadians to Energy Efficiency at Home, at Work and on the Road