Saving History. Saving the Environment. Saving Money.

Doug Creelman knew, even before moving the abandoned 1840’s home to its new location, that there would be a lot

of work to do to make it liveable, but the challenge excited him. “We were happy that we could preserve a bit of the

area’s history.”Doug Creelman's re-insulated, air sealed home in Janeville went from an EnerGuide rating of 0 to 64


In fact, New Brunswick houses are among the oldest in Canada, with over

30 percent of homes in the province having been built prior to 1960. Older

homes are often draftier and not as well insulated, making them less

comfortable to live in and more costly to heat. However, most homes,

regardless of their age, can be made more energy efficient through

specific, targeted energy efficiency upgrades. 


Renovating a historic home may seem a daunting task, but the Existing

Homes Energy Efficiency Upgrades Program was designed to help homeowners make the right decisions for

energy efficient upgrades and retrofit projects by providing expert advice and financial incentives.


By committing to a more efficient building envelope for their home, they are saving money on their heating bill,

consuming less energy and taking action on climate change.  “We’ve been able to reduce our heating costs by more

than one third, and have learned a lot about energy efficiency.”


They made the following changes to improve their energy efficiency: 

  • Attic insulated to R-40 for the flat ceiling and R-24 for the sloped ceiling
  • Main walls, floor header and basement insulated with polyurethane foam (R-20)
  • Low E/Argon windows installed throughout the house
  • Improvements in air tightness with increased insulation
  • New ENERGY STAR appliances

They took advantage of $2000 of financial incentives available through Efficiency NB’s Existing Homes Energy

Efficiency Upgrades Program.  Their renovations increased the energy rating of their home by 64 points, and reduced

their home’s greenhouse gas emissions by 32.79 tonnes annually – that’s about the same amount produced by

twenty motor scooters, each driven an average of 20,000 km.


“From the day we moved the house, to its completion, took about six months, but it was a very positive experience,”

said Doug. “If asked if we’d do it again I can happily say yes, we would.”