EnerGuide
Encyclopedia
EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada
mark associated with the labelling and rating of the energy consumption or energy efficiency of specific products. EnerGuide labelling exists for appliances, heating and cooling equipment, houses and vehicles.
program developed by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada
(NRCan).
EnerGuide includes a house
energy evaluation, including tests to find air leakage and the energy efficiency
of its heating. It was designed to help Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions and to save energy. To accomplish the same goals for new home construction the EnerGuide for New Houses program was initiated in 2006.
The new Saskatchewan EnerGuide for Houses program is active from April 1st 2011 to October 31st 2013.
emissions and save energy.
In addition to evaluating the design trade-offs that affect the annual energy usage of the home it is also a ranking system. The EnerGuide for Houses scale goes from 0-100 with 0 being the least efficient and 100 being the most energy efficient. In 2005 the average home in Canada had a rating of 66 on the EnerGuide scale. By comparison a home built to the R-2000 standard
has a rating of 80.
The steps involved for the EnerGuide for New Houses process are:
1. The EnerGuide for New Houses service starts with an analysis of the new house plans selected by the pending home owner by an EnerGuide for New Houses energy advisor.
2. The advisor recommends energy-saving upgrades and works with the builder to develop a report that lists various cost-effective options.
3. The builder then estimates the upgrade work and provides the client with a price.
4. When construction is done, the EnerGuide advisor verifies the applied energy upgrades and performs a blower door
test.
5. After the data has been collected, the home receives its EnerGuide for New Houses rating.
6. The home owner is provided an official label to display the rating on the home’s furnace or electrical box.
Building energy rating systems:
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
mark associated with the labelling and rating of the energy consumption or energy efficiency of specific products. EnerGuide labelling exists for appliances, heating and cooling equipment, houses and vehicles.
EnerGuide for Houses
EnerGuide for Houses is a CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
program developed by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada
The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...
(NRCan).
EnerGuide includes a house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
energy evaluation, including tests to find air leakage and the energy efficiency
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
of its heating. It was designed to help Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions and to save energy. To accomplish the same goals for new home construction the EnerGuide for New Houses program was initiated in 2006.
The new Saskatchewan EnerGuide for Houses program is active from April 1st 2011 to October 31st 2013.
EnerGuide for New Houses
The EnerGuide for New Houses program, a sister program of EnerGuide for Houses, helps Canadians plan and build new homes that are cost-effective and energy efficient, that lower greenhouse gasGreenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions and save energy.
In addition to evaluating the design trade-offs that affect the annual energy usage of the home it is also a ranking system. The EnerGuide for Houses scale goes from 0-100 with 0 being the least efficient and 100 being the most energy efficient. In 2005 the average home in Canada had a rating of 66 on the EnerGuide scale. By comparison a home built to the R-2000 standard
R-2000 program
R-2000 is a Natural Resources Canada program that was developed in partnership with the Canadian Home Builders' Association in 1981, and formalized as a standard in 1982...
has a rating of 80.
The steps involved for the EnerGuide for New Houses process are:
1. The EnerGuide for New Houses service starts with an analysis of the new house plans selected by the pending home owner by an EnerGuide for New Houses energy advisor.
2. The advisor recommends energy-saving upgrades and works with the builder to develop a report that lists various cost-effective options.
3. The builder then estimates the upgrade work and provides the client with a price.
4. When construction is done, the EnerGuide advisor verifies the applied energy upgrades and performs a blower door
Blower Door
A blower door is a piece of equipment primarily used to measure the airtightness of small to medium size buildings. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones, to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope.There are three...
test.
5. After the data has been collected, the home receives its EnerGuide for New Houses rating.
6. The home owner is provided an official label to display the rating on the home’s furnace or electrical box.
See also
- Energy auditEnergy auditAn energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output.-Principle:...
Building energy rating systems:
- Australia - House Energy RatingHouse Energy RatingA House Energy Rating is an index of a building's thermal performance for residential homes in Australia....
- UK - National Home Energy RatingNational Home Energy RatingThe National Home Energy Rating Scheme is both a UK accreditation scheme for energy assessors and a rating scale for the energy efficiency of housing.The NHER is owned and operated by National Energy Services...
- US - Home energy ratingHome energy ratingA Home Energy Rating is a measurement of a home’s energy efficiency, used primarily in the United States. Home energy ratings can be used for either existing homes or new homes. A home energy rating of an existing home allows a homeowner to receive a report listing options for upgrading a home’s...
External links
- EnerGuide
- Dividing heating bill by ten to build for tomorrow (translated from French)
- http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/retrofit-summary.cfm?attr=0