Parade of Homes

The decision comes down to budget for many would-be homeowners. While the long-term savings of a highly efficient home can outweigh the initial cost, not everyone has the funds to build the most energy- efficient home on the block. Luckily, there are incentives out there to lessen the financial burden. Efficiency Manitoba's New Homes Program offers rebates and design assistance to make a higher level of energy-efficiency more easily attainable. If you're managing the construction of your own home or you're a commercial home builder, you'll get a rebate for installing energy-efficient measures that are at least 20 per cent better than code. If you're a homeowner working with a builder, you'll reap the financial rewards with a more efficient home that will have you saving on your energy bill from the day you move in. And for all homeowners participating in the program, whether you're overseeing your build or not, a partial refund on your mortgage insurance premium is available through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Genworth Canada. Rebates through the program depend on which path you choose to take — the standard prescriptive path, with 10 required energy-saving measures and a rebate up to $1,200, or the custom performance path, which offers more flexibility in terms of the measures selected, rebates from $1,500 to $12,000, and design assistance from an energy modelling expert. "Through the performance path, you can actually forecast what the energy performance of a home will be before it's constructed," says Allison Lund, energy- efficiency specialist at Efficiency Manitoba. "You can experiment with different designs to see what your energy savings will be and the cost to do that is rebated through the New Homes Program." BUILD IT BETTER — Cont'd from page 141 EFFICIENCY MANITOBA'S NEW HOMES PROGRAM OFFERS REBATES AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE TO MAKE A HIGHER LEVEL OF ENERGY- EFFICIENCY MORE EASILY ATTAINABLE. 142 Parade of Homes Fall 2020

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