ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes

Let us tell you about the benefits

Enjoy better indoor living

Living in a home built with features to improve comfort and your life indoors is what we all look for when we are going to purchase a new home. An ENERGY STAR certified home delivers just this, a home that you want to live in and enjoy. How so?

Homes that have been certified with the blue ENERGY STAR symbol are generally more air-sealed than a typical new home and this helps to reduce drafts and cold spots which will make you and your family more comfortable. It also helps to reduce dust, pollen, and pests from getting inside. 

Typical features such as energy-efficient windows and higher insulation levels also help to improve the overall comfort of the home and aid in creating more balanced temperatures. This is beneficial during hot and cold seasons when you want your home to be at a temperature you find more comfortable than what it is like outdoors.

Picture yourself inside your new home. It is quiet and calm. As you inhale deeply then exhale to relax after a long day at work, the indoor air is refreshing. There is a device installed in your home just for this, exchanging the indoor stale air with outdoor filtered air.

Save energy

When built to the latest standard, an ENERGY STAR certified home is built to be about 20% more energy efficient than a typical home. Every year, an ENERGY STAR certified home saves the same amount of energy as watching 17 hockey seasons on TV or running a refrigerator for 10 years. Imagine all of the energy being saved and used conscientiously if every home on your street was certified as ENERGY STAR.

Why is energy conservation important? Today, 17 percent of the energy consumed in Canada is used to operate our homes. By saving energy, we can help protect the environment.

Save money

Budget-conscience households look for ways to save money every year. We cut back on our morning coffee grab, we make more lunches during the week, and we pass on dining out to stay on track. But, picture a savings source that is invisible yet still provides you with extra funds to go towards a money goal: a road-trip, paying for summer camp, attending a music festival, or buying that coveted leather jacket.    

Did you know every homeowner of an ENERGY STAR certified home can save up to $300 per year in utility costs? There it is -the invisible money saver. These are savings that you get as soon as you start living in your new home. These savings are invisible, you will not see them or even feel the bills on your fingertips, but you will get those savings either way. So go ahead and grab your double espresso once in a while.

Have peace of mind about energy efficiency

Your biggest investment is built to use energy efficiently. How can you be sure?

ENERGY STAR certified homes are evaluated, inspected and labelled by a third-party energy advisor. The homes are also constructed by a builder who is dedicated to building to a higher energy-saving standard. This gives you peace of mind that your home meets the ENERGY STAR energy efficiency standard that was developed by Natural Resources Canada.

It is important for buyers to know that the building code for your region sets the requirements for the construction of your home. The ENERGY STAR standard is an add-on to the regional building code and is specifically designed to improve the energy efficiency of the home.

Help the planet

Every time we use energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, we produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. This is why it is important for our homes to be energy-efficient and lower our energy use as much as we can.

By operating an ENERGY STAR certified home and conserving energy, you are saving over 1,000 kilograms of GHGs that could have been emitted into the planet every year. This is estimated to be about the same as the emissions emitted from your car when taking a 6,000 kilometre road trip to Calgary from Toronto and back (source: NRCan calculation, 2016).

Lower energy consumption conserves our natural resources and protects our environment by reducing emissions that contribute to climate change.

Appreciate the resale potential

It happens every year, as the weather gets warmer, homeowners start cleaning out their homes and one-by-one “For Sale” signs pop-up. Will your home stand out when you decide to sell one day? An energy-efficient home may provide appeal for potential buyers.

Prospective buyers look for homes that will be comfortable and save them money. Does the home have newer windows? What about the furnace or boiler? With an ENERGY STAR certified home you are already ahead of the game. Energy saving features like high-performing windows and heating and cooling systems are attractive features for a buyer.

Here are some typical features

Higher insulation levels

Walls and ceilings are insulated beyond what is required by the building code, which contributes to more even temperatures in your home.

Efficient heating and cooling systems

These systems help you save energy, which saves you money every year.

Additional air-sealing

ENERGY STAR certified homes are built to meet a specific energy target and are built sufficiently airtight to save energy and provide better comfort. The homes are more air-sealed than a typical new home and help to reduce drafts and cold spots, dust, pollen, pests, and noise.

High performing windows, doors and skylights

Energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights, such as ones certified ENERGY STAR, help to save energy and allow you to enjoy that cup of coffee or tea by the window without being cold.

A whole-home ventilation system

An air-exchanger, called a heat or energy recovery ventilation system, can help improve the indoor air quality by expelling stale air and replacing it with filtered outdoor air.

ENERGY STAR certified products

A variety of ENERGY STAR certified products such as lighting, appliances, or air conditioners save you money by using less electricity.

Learn more about these features:

• Find an ENERGY STAR builder
• Energy-efficient heating systems
• Energy-efficient cooling systems
• High performing windows, doors and skylights
• Whole-home ventilation systems
• ENERGY STAR certified products

The ENERGY STAR name and symbol are trademarks registered in Canada by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and are administered and promoted by Natural Resources Canada.