RETROFITTED HOMES CAN SAVE UP TO 40 PER CENT ON ENERGY COSTS

Five Saskatoon homes, built between 1911 and 1986, have been modified to save as much as 40 per cent on energy costs.

The results were released today from an energy efficiency home retrofit project carried out by the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) and funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The project showed that by using the correct space heating equipment and major electrical appliances, at a reasonable investment cost, homeowners can achieve substantial energy savings with attractive rates of return.

"The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to building a green and prosperous economy," Minister Responsible for SRC Eric Cline said. "Conserving energy reduces costs for consumers, businesses, communities and governments. It also reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that can affect climate change."

"Most demonstration projects for energy efficiency focus on new houses, which represent less than two per cent of houses," head of SRC's building performance section, Rob Dumont said. "This project focused on older houses, built between 1911 and 1986. As natural gas prices continue to rise, homeowners can take measures to minimize the energy that their homes use and drastically reduce their monthly utility expenses."

The goal of the project was to retrofit five characteristically different homes in Saskatoon with the ambitious target of improving each home's natural gas and electricity consumption by 40 per cent. Some of the changes homeowners made included installing high efficiency furnaces, adding insulation, reducing air leaks, upgrading to high efficiency appliances, and using high efficiency compact fluorescent lamps.

SRC has been providing smart science solutions to its clients and partners since 1947 in the key sectors of biotechnology, energy, environment, minerals, and manufacturing/value-added processing.

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For More Information, Contact:

Karen Potter Saskatchewan Research Council Saskatoon Phone: (306)933-7089

Jason Cobb Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Calgary Phone: (403)515-2903