Feature EnErgy EFFICIEnCy
ONE giANT
lEEp Builders test-drive
energy-saving technologies
by Pat st. germain
>> inspired designs provide plenty of eye candy during the Parade of Homes. But it’s what you can’t see that has some builders excited about throwing open their doors this fall. Exterior insulation, Energy recovery venti- lation (Erv) and drain water heat recovery systems are among the more low-profile features, along with natural gas furnaces and appliances. Builders are working together toward adopting newer technologies, a commit- ment that was demonstrated through a local Energy Efficiency Partnership (lEEP) project sponsored by Manitoba Hydro and natural resources Canada (nrCan). Manitoba Home Builders’ Association president Mike Moore says consultations began in 2013 to study everything from on-demand water heaters to passive solar energy and cold climate air-source heat pumps. “We brought together about a dozen builders and looked at hundreds of differ- ent technologies and narrowed it down to about a dozen, and then from there took about five and really went to town on them,” Moore says.
26 Parade of Homes FALL 2015
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