Incentive Can Help Address Common Problems

(NC)—Uncomfortable drafts on cold winter days, excessive condensation on windows and a heating system that operates continuously are all signs that your home may be wasting energy. And that's nothing but bad news.

First and foremost, wasted energy is wasted money – and the penalty increases as energy prices rise. But wasting energy is also bad for the environment because it means your family is producing unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

If your home has the previously mentioned traits, help is available from the EnerGuide for Houses Program, which was launched in 1998 by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency. An EnerGuide for Houses advisor can locate the source of common energy-related problems and recommend corrective measures. Here's how the service works.

An independent energy advisor visits the home, performs an evaluation, calculates an energy efficiency rating and recommends measures to reduce energy consumption while maintaining a healthy living environment. After you have completed some or all of the recommended upgrades, the advisor performs a follow-up evaluation and establishes a new energy efficiency rating for your home.

There has never been a better time to use the service, with the recent announcement by the Government of Canada of an incentive to homeowners who implement upgrades recommended by an EnerGuide for Houses advisor. The amount of the incentive is based on the difference between the home's energy efficiency rating before and after the improvements are implemented.

Only homeowners who have had an EnerGuide for Houses evaluation and implemented at least some of the recommended improvements in their primary residence are eligible for the incentive. Apartments, most condominiums and rental units do not qualify for the program at this time.

For more information, visit the EnerGuide for Houses Web site at energuideforhouses.gc.ca or call 1 800 387-2000 (toll-free) or 995-2943 in the National Capital Region.

- News Canada

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News Canada

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