Power Smart for New Homes offers financial incentives for
the construction of energy-efficient houses ranging from
one-time payments of $1,200 up to $12,000, depending
on the "performance" of the house upon its completion.
Lund stresses that anybody wanting to apply for the
program should contact her office before any major
design decisions are made and send in an application
before builders break ground.
On the low end of the payout scale, the "prescriptive
path" involves 10 energy-saving upgrades, including
increased attic insulation, triple-glazed windows and
LED lighting. The bigger opportunity lies with the
"performance path," where homeowners have the
freedom to incorporate any technology, building design
or upgrades such as solar panels or air source heat
pumps into their homes.
"We offer design assistance, which is also covered by
the program, but we don't dictate. You can choose
any approach or technology that you want to use to
build your efficient home and we reward you based on
where you end up," she says.
A Sterling Homes show home built with solar panels
in Taylor Farm has been certified a Power Smart home
and while Lund says there are just a handful of such
homes in town today, more and more energy-efficient
projects are being started in Winnipeg and rural
Manitoba, including on First Nations.
"Consumers are going to see a lot more high-
efficiency (homes) in pursuit of net-zero consumption
in the coming years. That's certainly the direction that
building codes are moving in the long term."
Save energy and money
by design.
Talk to your builder today
about building a certified
Power Smart
*
home.
*Manitoba Hydro is a licensee of the Trademark and Official Mark.
hydro.mb.ca/newhomes
Available in accessible formats upon request.
BUILD SMART FROM THE START.
Parade of Homes Spring 2018 31
