The Nichols’ bungalow has been a true labour of love. “I began working on the house about four or five years ago, starting at one end and moving to the other.” laughs Colin Nichols. The Nichols are nearing retirement age and realized that by making energy efficient changes to their home, they would be saving money on their heating costs now and throughout their retirement.

The Nichols had already made many improvements to the energy efficiency of their home prior to applying for a loan from Efficiency New Brunswick’s Existing Homes Energy Efficiency Upgrades Program. “Like many homes built in 1964, it needed to be modernized,” he said, “and its efficiency could be improved.”

Older homes are often draftier and not well insulated, making them

less comfortable to live in and more costly to heat. Most homes, regardless of their age, can be made more energy efficient through specific, targeted, energy efficiency upgrades, such as those made by the Nichols family.

The program was designed to help homeowners make the right decisions

for energy efficient upgrades and retrofit projects by providing expert advice and financial incentives. Despite having done many renovations to the home, the Nichols looked to an energy audit to help them decide what would best improve their energy efficiency at this point.

“I wasn’t surprised when we rated 80 on the energy audit to start,” he said. “We had already finished improving the insulation in the basement and two of the three bedrooms on the main level. The audit confirmed that we had been doing the right things, but there was still more that we could do.” The loan from Efficiency New Brunswick allowed them to turn their attention to the outside of their home.

With their loan, the Nichols were able to: 

1. Re-side the home, adding an additional R10 insulation
2. Install five new triple glaze windows on the main floor
3. Install a heat recovery ventilation system
4. Install an ENERGY STAR bathroom fan

By committing to a more efficient building envelope for their home, the Nichols are saving money on their electric heating bill, consuming less energy and taking action on climate change. Their renovations increased the energy rating of their home by a further 2 points, and reduced their home’s greenhouse gas emissions by another 1.22 tonnes annually.

Colin pointed out that conservation has always been important to him, and a consideration in his family’s lifestyle. He notes that his family had already switched to ENERGY STAR appliances and CFL lighting, and indicated that they are not done yet. He has a new goal in mind. “The energy auditor gave us a lot of good ideas, and I’d like to do more. As it is an older home, we might not be able to make it R-2000 compliant, but we can get it close.”