SUNNY SIDE UP – Cont'd from page 29
Rich Juchnowski, a realtor for Sterling Homes, says the company
thought it was about to time to test the waters with solar-powered
homes. Thus far, many people have expressed interest in the show
home at 10 Southdown Lane, but nobody has made an offer.
(The list price is $649,900.)
"People are curious to see how it works and what it powers. They
ask, 'Where are the batteries?' but there aren't any," he says.
Interest isn't coming from a specific demographic. Juchnowski
has walked twentysomethings through the home as well as
retired couples.
"They all like the idea of saving money," he says.
Switching over to solar power can be a little tricky in existing houses
and the indoor connections may not be pretty, but it's doable.
Just like most other things with your house, the solar panels lose
some of their efficiency over time, but not much. In 25 years, they
should still be working at 82 per cent of what they do now.
Solar energy systems are garnering more
interest in Manitoba, but homeowners
shouldn't put the cart before the horse.
Allison Lund, program coordinator of Power
Smart for New Homes at Manitoba Hydro, says
the first step is to reduce energy consumption
by building a better-performing home.
It helps homeowners understand the concept
if they think about building an "efficiency
foundation" first, by investing in the building
envelope and then laying down high-tech
options on top of that. That means making
sure you've got insulation wrapping the
whole house — walls, attic and foundation
— ENERGY STAR
®
windows and doors and a
continuous, sealed air barrier system.
PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS TO SEE HOW IT WORKS
AND WHAT IT POWERS. THEY ASK, 'WHERE
ARE THE BATTERIES?' BUT THERE AREN'T ANY.
SMART paths
to
energy
efficiency
info@kdrdesignbuilders.com
knowledge » design » reliability
www.kdrhomes.com
204-261-8728
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247 Bonaventure Dr. - Bona Vista
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30 Parade of Homes Spring 2018
