Homebuilders

• Want to become a participating builder
• Become an EnerGuide Rating System Registered Builder
• Become an ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder
• Become an R-2000 Builder
• Marketing Resources for Builders

Already a builder participating in Natural Resources Canada’s initiatives?

Sign in to the members’ only resource centre to access administrative and training materials, marketing tools and latest program updates.

Want to become a participating Builder? 

Explore Natural Resources Canada’s energy efficiency initiatives for housing:

• EnerGuide Rating System
• ENERGY STAR® for New Homes
• R-2000 Homes

As a builder, you may participate in multiple initiatives, so you can offer various types of energy-efficient homes to your customers.

How do I become a participant? 

To participate in any of these programs, you must first contact a service organization in your area, licensed by Natural Resources Canada to deliver our housing programs.

Your service organization will provide you with a variety of services, including the following:

• discussing your needs and helping you determine the best options for the energy-efficient homes you want to build;
• evaluating required training for your staff;
• connecting you with an energy advisor who can give you expert advice on cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades; and
• providing you with requirements for labeling your homes.

Why should I participate?

• Gain a marketing edge by participating in nationally recognized government-backed labeling programs
• Stay a step ahead of building codes in your area
• Meet consumer demand for energy-efficient homes
• Help your customers save money on energy bills, improve their comfort and reduce their environmental impact
• Gain recognition from your peers as an innovator and industry leader
• Take advantage of Natural Resources Canada’s promotion of energy-efficient homes at the national level

Become an EnerGuide Rating System Registered Builder

How do I become a registered Builder?

Follow these simple steps to become an EnerGuide Rating System registered Builder:

• Contact an NRCan licensed service organization that delivers EnerGuide plan evaluations in your area
• Discuss with the service organization requirements for becoming a registered builder
• Complete registration with Natural Resources Canada via email

How do I get my homes EnerGuide rated?

The process of getting your homes EnerGuide rated occurs in several steps:

• An energy advisor working with an NRCan licensed service organization will evaluate your house plans and use energy simulation software to estimate how much energy the house will use after it is completed.
• After the initial evaluation, the energy advisor will work with you to develop cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades you can offer to your customers.
• When the home is completed, the energy advisor visits the house to verify that the energy upgrades have been incorporated into the house and to perform a blower door test.
• After this final evaluation, you receive an EnerGuide rating label for the house and a report that you can give to the homeowner.

What is the EnerGuide Rating System?

Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) EnerGuide Rating System helps homebuilders evaluate their house plans for energy performance and provide energy efficiency upgrades that can benefit their customers. When the home is constructed, it receives an EnerGuide label, recognized nationwide as a method of indicating a home’s level of energy performance. By seeking homes with better EnerGuide ratings, homeowners are saving on utility bills and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by their homes. NRCan’s ENERGY STAR® for New Homes and R-2000 initiatives use the EnerGuide Rating System to measure the levels of energy efficiency in homes.

Why Join?

Government backed - Add value to your business by providing your customers with a government backed and nationally recognized label for energy efficiency

Added value for your customers – You will be able to clearly communicate to homebuyers how the rating can help them make steps towards energy savings and increased comfort

Savings - EnerGuide rating will help you choose the most feasible and cost-effective energy improvements to your house plans

Maximum flexibility – you may include energy efficiency upgrades as part of the package or offer additional energy efficiency options to homebuyers

Market recognition and customer satisfaction – Your customers will be confident about the energy performance of their new home, and may be able to benefit from energy efficiency programs based on EnerGuide rating if offered in their area   

Continual support and learning opportunities - You will have access to Natural Resources Canada’s tools, delivery network, and standards to help you build energy efficiency into your new home designs

How to promote EnerGuide rated homes to your customers?

• Promote homes that provide homeowners with valuable information about their home’s energy performance, which can help them to reduce energy use and save on utility bills.
• Promote added value for the homeowner with an EnerGuide rating backed by the Government of Canada.
• Choose from flexible options you can offer to your customers:
  • If you are a tract builder, you can develop upgrade packages that your customers can purchase before building begins
  • If you are building custom homes, you can work with your customers on energy efficiency upgrades that make most the sense for them
• Provide your customers with an EnerGuide rating and label that helps them identify how energy-efficient their home is compared to other rated homes across Canada.
• Take advantage of Marketing Resources available to you.

Become an ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder

How do I become a participating Builder?

Follow these simple steps to Become an ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Builder:

• Contact an NRCan licensed service organization that delivers ENERGY STAR® for New Homes in your area
• Discuss with the service organization training and licensing requirements for becoming an ENERGY STAR® builder
• Sign a participation agreement with Natural Resources Canada

All ENERGY STAR® certified homes must be built to the ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Standard. Only builders who have been licensed by the Government of Canada can promote themselves as ENERGY STAR® builders and can apply to have their homes ENERGY STAR® certified.

What is ENERGY STAR® for New Homes?

ENERGY STAR® for New Homes provides homeowners with easy access to energy-efficient new homes, and allows builders to build these homes in a timely, simple and cost effective manner using common building practices. An ENERGY STAR® certified home is on average 20% more energy-efficient than a typical new home. In order for your homes to receive the ENERGY STAR® certified label, they must be built to the ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Standard.

Why Join?

A proven sales and marketing tool -ENERGY STAR® is a trusted brand widely recognized by consumers.
Maximum flexibility -Two compliance paths offer maximum flexibility and ease of use so you can design and build in the way that works best for your company.

Government backed -As a participant you get authorized use of the government-backed ENERGY STAR® symbol and you are listed as an ENERGY STAR® participating builder on NRCan’s website.

Market recognition and customer satisfaction -The ENERGY STAR® initiative is a highly successful, voluntary industry-government collaboration that is transforming the way Canadians use energy at home.

Continual support and learning opportunities -You will have access to expertise in building science, training, and overall support and recognition as you build ENERGY STAR® certified homes. 

How do I promote ENERGY STAR® certified homes to my customers?

• Promote savings your customers will enjoy with their ENERGY STAR® certified home that is 20% more energy-efficient than a typical new home.
• Provide your customers with a home that helps them enjoy real savings on their energy bills, increasing their comfort and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. 
• Promote the value of the government backed ENERGY STAR® label provided in your ENERGY STAR® certified homes.
• Choose from flexible options you can offer to your customers:
  • If you are a tract builder, you may choose to promote ENERGY STAR® as part of your base model or you may offer your customers energy efficiency upgrade packages for different home models.
  • If you are building a custom or "spec" home, you can build an ENERGY STAR® certified home and include energy saving measures that make most sense for the homeowner.
• Take advantage of marketing resources available to you.

Recognizing ENERGY STAR® Builders

ENERGY STAR® builders are the voluntary champions of energy-efficient homes in Canada. Our ENERGY STAR® builders are recognized for their efforts to help homeowners reduce energy use, increase comfort, save money, and minimize negative impacts on the environment.

Each year Natural Resources Canada recognizes Participants who have demonstrated particular excellence through its annual ENERGY STAR® Market Transformation Awards. The winners earn the prized recognition of being the best in their class. Learn about past winners and inspiring energy-efficiency champions.

ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Standard

ENERGY STAR® for New Homes is promoted by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada as an initiative designed to encourage energy efficient construction in new housing, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The initiative is supported by the ENERGY STAR® for New Homes Standard which sets out requirements that enable new homes to be approximately 20% more energy efficient than those built to the Provincial or National Building Code. The increased energy efficiency of these homes translates into reduced energy costs for homeowners.

To view the Standard in its entirety log into NRCan’s energy efficiency housing initiatives Public resource centre.

Opaque Assemblies

The Tables for Calculating Effective Thermal Resistance of Opaque Assemblies provides a method for calculating the effective thermal resistance of opaque assemblies. It is currently being used to demonstrate compliance with the prescriptive approach under the ENERGY STAR for New Homes Standard, and is also referenced in the National Building Code of Canada as a source for calculating additional assemblies and configurations.

This document provides easy-to-use look-up tables for the effective thermal resistance of assemblies containing both framing member and cavity insulation.

To view this document log into NRCan’s energy efficiency housing initiatives Public resource centre.

Become an R-2000 Builder

How do I become a licensed Builder?

Follow these simple steps to become an R-2000 Builder:

• Contact an NRCan licensed service organization that delivers the R-2000 program in your area.
• Discuss with the service organization training and licensing requirements for becoming an R-2000 builder
• Sign a licensing agreement with Natural Resources Canada

You will need to fulfill the following requirements to be licensed by Natural Resources Canada:

Attend an R-2000 Builder Workshop

• Only professional R-2000 trainers across Canada can deliver this course. This workshop covers the technical requirements of the standard building science principles, barrier systems, windows, foundations, advanced construction, air-sealing techniques, mechanical systems, marketing and an overview of the R-2000 quality assurance process.

Build an R-2000 certified home

• Upon completion of mandatory training, builders must build an R-2000 demonstration home that is inspected by a third party energy advisor and certified by the Government of Canada.  The demonstration home must be built and certified within two years of the date of completion of the R-2000 Builder Workshop.

In order to remain licensed you must:

• Have an active, up-to-date licensing agreement with Natural Resources Canada
• Build at least one R-2000 certified house every three years
• Attend the R-2000 Builder Update Workshop every two years

All R-2000 certified homes must be built to the R-2000 Standard. Only builders who have been licensed by the Government of Canada can promote themselves as R-2000 builders and can apply to have their homes R-2000 certified.

What is R-2000?

R-2000 is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in new construction developed in collaboration with Canada's residential construction industry. R-2000 promotes the use of cost-effective energy-efficient building practices and techniques, indoor air quality and environmental features. An R-2000 certified home is on average 50% more energy-efficient than a typical new home.

Why Join?

Innovation – Join the other forward thinking innovators in the country and build your homes using leading edge technologies

Leadership - Stay a step ahead of building codes and get recognition as the best-in-class industry leader who helped transform the housing market in Canada    

Government backed - Offer your customers a premium, government-backed brand for energy efficiency in new homes, with third-party verification and a Government of Canada supported certification process

Best in class – Market yourself as a premium builder who provides his customers with the best-in-class R-2000 energy efficiency home label

Added value for your customers – Besides strict requirements for energy efficiency, R-2000 promotes superior air tightness standards and indoor air quality that sets R-2000 apart from other green labels on the market.

Continual support and learning opportunities - You will benefit from over 30 years of research and development in the area of energy efficiency in new construction and you will have access to expertise in building science, training, and overall support and recognition as you build R-2000 certified homes. 

How to promote R-2000 homes to your customers?

• Promote savings your customers will enjoy with their R-2000 certified home that is 50% more energy-efficient than a typical new home.
• Provide your customers with the peace of mind that comes from having a home that has superior indoor air quality and is environmentally responsible.
• Establish a niche market for highly efficient R-2000 homes that provide superior comfort and energy savings.
• Separate yourself from your competition by building homes that require government backed certification process and third party verification.
• Take advantage of Marketing Resources available to you.

Marketing Resources for Builders

• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) provides a number of publications and videos to assist builders in marketing ENERGY STAR® , R-2000 and ERS rated homes.
• Look for NRCan’s messaging to the public about the ENERGY STAR® certified homes, R-2000 certified homes  and EnerGuide Rating System for new homes.
• Licensed builders have access to a members only web portal where they can obtain all of our marketing resources, including official marks and user guidelines.
• You will be listed as an ENERGY STAR® for New Homes, R-2000 licensed builder, or EnerGuide Rating System registered builder on NRCan’s website.