Put Upgrade Priorities First - The Province, Sunday May 1st

May 2, 2011

Get an energy audit done on your home to qualify for grant cash

The LiveSmart BC Efficiency Incentive Program that was set to expire is again in place for B.C. homeowners wanting to upgrade the energy deficiencies in their homes.

This program offers similar incentives that the now-completed federal ecoENERGY Retrofit Program had offered.

In order to participate, you must have an energy audit performed on your home by a certified energy adviser licensed by Natural Resources Canada. This audit qualifies your home based on a score out of 100 in terms of its energy efficiency. If your home scores between 55 and 65, for instance, there are clearly improvements to be made in such areas as insulation, draftproofing, ventilation and the windows and heating systems.

Each upgrade has an available grant, provided you follow the criteria outlined in the audit report. In the past, the average grant per household has been around $1,000.

Some high-pressure salespeople may promote their services for upgrades, but homeowners should remember that the most important part of the program comes down to what items you address first. Consider the sequence of priority to the upgrades, not where can you get the biggest bang for the buck relevant to the grant.

Over the years, unfortunately, I have seen some homeowners ignoring the best ways to approach upgrades in order to get as much grant money as possible. But let me tell you, there is a priority sequence in improving the efficiency and quality of a home.

Some upgrades, if done out of sequence, can negatively affect the quality of life within a home negatively. If done improperly, for instance, one consequence can be excessive moisture that can cause mould growth.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to look at the sequence in which the upgrades should be performed in order to maximize the benefit of those upgrades. If you have not participated in an energy upgrade programs such as LiveSmart BC, get signed up today for the pre-retrofit energy audit, by visiting www.LiveSmartBC.ca.

I want you to get a fair deal, but I do not want you starting the improvements unless you follow the sequence of priority. Keeping your health in mind is No. 1.

This article was published in The Province newspaper, Sunday May 1st