A True Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses Success Story

Randy VanZeumeren now enjoys about 50 per cent savings on annual heating costs, thanks, in part, to the Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses/eco-ENERGY program.

Randy, 49, lives in a 150 year-old farm house in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, with his wife, Jessica, and two of their five children.

The VanZeumerens have always been an energy-conscious family.

They turn down the thermostat and wear sweaters when it's chilly, they put bricks in the toilet tank to conserve water during flushes, and they have been composting for about 20 years now.

The VanZeumeren children are in charge of the recycling around the house and keep the deposits for spending money.

"You have to do whatever it takes to cut your costs," says Randy.

Randy worked for Scotian Homes from 2000 to 2004.

During his time there, he had heard about energy efficiency evaluations being done to homes throughout the province, under the Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses program.

Intrigued by the opportunity to further reduce his energy costs, he decided to have one done on his home in 2003.

Conserve Nova Scotia's EnerGuide for Houses program combines sound energy efficiency advice and up to $1,500 in provincial rebates to help Nova Scotians save energy and money, and improve the comfort of their homes.

This program also allows homeowners to access up to $5,000 in federal rebates under the ecoENERGY program.

Following recommendations made by Sustainable Housing & Education Consultants Inc., one of the four EnerGuide for Houses service providers provincewide, the VanZeumerens insulated the exterior walls of their home, exchanged their existing double-heating system to a single unit with a higher-efficiency burner, replaced windows and doors and added insulation to their attic hatch.

They also did a number of draft-proofing upgrades such as caulking and foaming around the interior baseboards and windows.

The VanZeumerens were also sent an energy savings kit - a little something extra for participants in the Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses program.

Each energy savings kit is filled with energy-saving products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, a low-flow showerhead, and draft stoppers, among others.

For the VanZeumeren family, the true measure of the program's success is in the amount of money they are saving on their oil bill.

In 2003, before making their energy efficiency upgrades, they paid close to $3,200 for the year, with oil at about 51 cents per litre.

In 2007, with oil at 97 cents per litre, they were able to trim their annual heating costs down to about $1,600.

"Even though every year the cost of fuel has gone up, because of the changes we made and are continually making, our net cost in fuel consumption has gone down... literally by thousands," says Randy.

Since making the energy efficiency upgrades to their home, the VanZeumerens' energy savings have helped with the upfront costs.

Randy says there is still some work to be done.

He plans on installing new siding in the fall and eventually installing a solar-assisted domestic hot water system to have an even more energy-efficient home.

For more information on the Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses program, or to learn how you can participate in the program, visit Conserve Nova Scotia's website at www.conservens.ca or call the toll-free EnerInfo line at 1-800-670-4636.