Efficiency Manitoba
When buying a home, ask to see the EnerGuide labels and energy use reports produced by Natural Resources Canada. These reports demonstrate the energy performance of a home compared to a standard new home built to the National Building Code of Canada standard. “The rating will show the rating of the home in gigajoules,” says Karen Windatt, energy efficiency specialist with Efficiency Manitoba. “The closer to zero, the better the rating of the home.” Efficiency Manitoba makes it easy and affordable to design with energy efficiency in mind. Their New Homes Program offers rebates on the cost of energy modelling and provides a scaled rebate based on the final energy rating you achieve. If you are putting less than 20 per cent down on the purchase of your new home, you can combine this rebate with one offered by the three major Canadian mort- gage insurers and receive a 25 per cent refund on your mortgage insurance pre- miums when you build or buy an energy efficient new home. If you’re renovating, an EnerGuide eval- uation can also help you better understand your home’s energy performance and what opportunities exist to improve performance, Windatt says, and Efficiency Manitoba now offers the EnerGuide Home Evaluation Rebate to help increase access and uptake of EnerGuide evaluations in Manitoba. The rebate provides $400 toward your home energy assessment, covering most of the upfront cost. A pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation is a great first step for homeowners looking
to lower their energy bills and improve the comfort of their home. This in-home assessment is performed by a registered energy advisor who will col- lect necessary information about the home and identify upgrade opportunities. After the evaluation, homeowners will receive an energy label demonstrating the overall energy efficiency of the home, a home- owner information sheet with verified infor- mation about the home, and a renovation upgrade report with personalized recom- mendations to empower homeowners to make informed retrofit decisions. “It’s really beneficial to invest in energy-efficiency upgrades,” Windatt says. “It makes for a healthier, more comfortable home, in addition to lower energy bills, of course.” Energy-efficient homes offer better indoor living, with typical features such as energy-efficiency windows, higher insu- lation levels and better air sealing help to reduce drafts and cold spots while also keeping out potential irritants like pollution, dust and pollen. They can also save energy, money and the environment. Certified Energy Efficient new homes help reduce energy use, which reduces monthly energy bills and helps protect the environment. Studies also show that energy-efficient homes have higher resale values at time of sale. “An EnerGuide evaluation provides both this label as well as a homeowner information sheet that documents every- thing about the home,” Windatt says, “so it’s attractive to a homebuyer to know that you have invested in these types of upgrades that aren’t as obvious.”
Efficiency Manitoba makes it easy and affordable to design with energy efficiency in mind. Their New Homes Program offers rebates on the cost of energy modelling and provides a scaled rebate based on the final energy rating you achieve.
118 SPRING 2026 PARADE of HOMES | homebuilders.mb.ca
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