NB Energy Efficient New Homes Program (Download PDF File)

Efficiency NB offers sound advice and practical solutions to help New Brunswickers use energy more efficiently, make better energy choices, manage energy expenses and lessen the impact of energy use on the environment.

Why build an Energy Efficient New Home?

An energy efficient new home is a smart choice – for many good reasons. Benefits of energy efficient homes include:

• Long term savings: efficient homes have lower operating costs because they use far less energy
• Protection from rising energy costs: efficient homes help offset the effects of increasing energy prices
• Increased resale value: energy efficient homes are worth more to buyers
• Improved home comfort: energy efficient homes provide more comfort during the hottest and coldest months of the year
• Lower financing costs: owners of efficient homes are eligible for a mortgage insurance rebate and longer repayment terms from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
• Better for our environment: because they consume less energy, efficient homes produce far less greenhouse gas emissions than inefficient homes

For optimum energy efficiency, a homeowner’s best choice is a home built to the R-2000 standard or one that achieves an ecoENERGY for New Houses rating of 80 or higher. EnerGuide 80 and R-2000 homes offer a superior combination of comfort, efficiency and affordability.

Central heating systems make sense

Central heating systems are good for homeowners and good for the environment:

• Unlike baseboard heaters, central heating systems are easily converted from one fuel source to another, giving homeowners options when fuel price shifts take place or when new fuel types become available
• Central heating systems contribute to improved home comfort and air quality
• Non-electric heating options such as natural gas, oil and geothermal heat pumps produce up to 60% less greenhouse gases than electric heating systems

Non-electric heating is the best option for the future

There are compelling reasons for New Brunswickers to move away from electric heating:

• Electricity is one of the least efficient and least environmentally friendly heating options a homeowner can choose. Because of losses at the power plant and in power lines, electricity for space heating is only 30% efficient once delivered to a customer’s power meter. In comparison, natural gas, oil and geothermal heating systems are typically two or more times as efficient
• Power generation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Brunswick. Over half of our power is generated from oil and coal, producing more that 8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. On average, an electrically-heated home produces twice as much greenhouse gas as a comparable home heated with oil or natural gas.

Assistance available to New Brunswick new home owners

The NB Energy Efficient New Homes Program (“New Homes Program”) provides financial assistance to support the construction of new homes built to the EnerGuide 80 or R-2000 standard. Eligible homeowners can apply for a Basic, Central Heating – Electric OR Central Heating – Non-Electric grant, plus an Energy Star® Package bonus. Homes must complete the ecoENERGY for New Houses process and receive a rating of at least 80 or be R-2000 certified before being eligible for a grant or bonus under the New Homes Program.

The ENERGY STAR® mark is administered and promoted in Canada by Natural Resources Canada and is registered in Canada by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The Basic Grant

A Basic Grant of $1,000 is available to first owners of new homes that achieve an ecoENERGY for New Houses rating of at least 80 or are R-2000 certified, regardless of the heating system type.

OR

The Central Heating – Electric Grant

A Central Heating – Electric Grant of $2,000 is available to first owners of new homes that achieve an ecoENERGY for New Houses efficiency rating of at least 80 or are R-2000 certified; AND have an electric boiler, furnace or Energy Star® rated (or equivalent) air source heat pump as the primary source of heating.

OR

The Central Heating – Non-Electric Grant

A Central Heating – Non-Electric Grant of $3,000 is available to first owners of new homes that achieve an ecoENERGY for New Houses efficiency rating of at least 80 or are R-2000 certified; AND have an eligible non-electric central heating system. A complete listing of eligible heating systems can be found on the back of the application form. Additional incentives may be available from fuel suppliers and heating system installers.

The Energy Star® Package bonus

The Energy Star® logo on a product certifies that it has been tested and ranks among the most energy efficient available. An additional incentive of $250 is available to homeowners who:

• Install at least 2 of the following 3 appliances: Energy Star® refrigerator, Energy Star® freezer, Energy Star® clothes washer; and
• Install Energy Star® compact fluorescent lamps or other Energy Star® rated lamps in all lighting fixtures in the home. (A complete listing of lighting eligibility requirements can be found on the back of the application form.)

The Energy Star® Package bonus is available only in conjunction with Basic or Central Heating grants.

More about ecoENERGY for New Houses and R2000 ecoENERGY for New Houses is a system of improving and rating a new home’s energy efficiency developed by the federal Department of Natural Resources (NRCan). Through ecoENERGY, builders and prospective homeowners have access to expert advice to help them plan and build highly efficient homes. Upon completion, new homes are tested and given an official rating on a scale of 0-100. A rating of 80 or higher indicates that a home is highly energy effi cient. More information about the process is available at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal. R-2000 is a well known new home quality standard developed by NRCan and the Canadian Home Builders Association. Every R-2000 home must achieve an ecoENERGY rating of at least 80 before it can be certified – so every certified R-2000 home is automatically an EnerGuide 80 home too.

Homes must complete the ecoENERGY for New Houses process and receive a rating of at least 80, or be R-2000 certified, before being eligible for a grant or bonus under the New Homes Program. In New Brunswick, ecoENERGY for New Houses and R-2000 are administered by the Canadian Home Builders Association – New Brunswick (CHBA-NB). Contact the CHBA-NB at 1-800-463-6034 before you build to get started with ecoENERGY for New Houses or R-2000.

Who can apply for the New Homes Program?

• First owners of new homes, row houses and side-by-side duplexes
• Landlords, provided their dwelling meets eligibility criteria

Vacation properties and cottages are not eligible under the program. Home building contractors are not eligible for assistance under the program. (Full eligibility details are at www.efficiencynb.ca.)

How to apply

Once your home has received its final ecoENERGY inspection and rating, or has been R-2000 certified, complete this application form, and attach supporting documentation:

• For Basic, Central Heating – Electric or Central Heating – Non-Electric grants, attach a copy of your home’s ecoENERGY for New Houses report or proof of R-2000 certification.
• For the Energy Star® Package bonus, attach receipts for your new Energy Star® appliances

Submit all information to:

Efficiency NB
35 Charlotte Street
Suite 101
Saint John, NB
E2L 2H3

For more information

Call Efficiency NB at 1 866 643-8833, or visit our website, www.efficiencynb.ca