Green Homes: Upgrade Guide

What is an Energy Advisor?

The best person to give advice on green home upgrades is an Energy Advisor. Energy Advisors are registered with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to perform EnerGuide energy evaluations on new or existing homes and provide guidance to homeowners who are interested in improving their home’s energy efficiency.

Switch from gas furnace to electric heat pump

Heating a typical single-family home with a natural gas furnace can emit about two tonnes of GHGs per year, which is the same as driving a gas-powered car about 8,000 km. By switching to a heat pump, your home heating emissions can decrease by almost 98%.

GHG emissions and energy savings from gas furnace replacement:

	from	to
	80% efficient gas furnace ➜	➜ 95% efficient gas furnace
Reduce energy use	16%
Reduce GHG emissions	15%

	from	to
	80% efficient gas furnace ➜	➜ Electric heat pump
Reduce energy use	70 - 80%
Reduce GHG emissions	98%

Upgrade gas furnace to high efficiency model

Prior to 1990, most furnaces had a 60% efficiency rating, with more modern furnaces ranging from 78-82% efficiency. With technological advances, high efficiency furnaces can now reach up to 95-98.5% efficiency.  By switching from a 60% efficient to a 95% efficient furnace, your home heating GHG emissions could decrease by about 35%.

Switch from gas to electric water heater

Water heating accounts for about 23% of total household energy use in BC. A home using natural gas to heat its water will typically emit about 1 tonne of GHGs per year, equivalent to driving a gas-powered car about 4,000 km. According to a 2022 case study published by B2E, electric water heaters are generally less expensive than natural gas water heaters initially ($1,700 for a new gas-fired hot water tank compared to $900 for a standard electric hot water tank of the same size), and cost slightly more to operate each month (typically about $13/month more) but will decrease your GHG emissions from water heating by ~98%.

Note about utility bill cost: While your home heating/hot water bills may increase slightly when switching from natural gas to electricity, projected increases to the Carbon Tax will continue to increase natural gas costs.* For example, if you use 11.1 GJ of natural gas in one month and paid $35.95 in carbon tax charges in 2023, you could expect your carbon tax charge to increase to approximately $94.10 per month in 2030 (increase in carbon tax charge from $3.24/GJ to $8.48/GJ).

*The carbon tax is $65/tonne CO2e in BC as of April 1, 2023. The federal government plans to increase this amount by $15/tCO2e per year, until reaching $170/tCO2e in 2030.

Insulate attic

Adding insulation to the attic is one of the least invasive and most cost-effective ways to improve your home’s building envelope and energy efficiency (the building envelope includes: exterior walls, foundation, roof, windows, and doors). If air sealing is done at the same time, you can save an average of 15% on your heating and cooling costs.

Upgrade windows and doors

Windows and doors can account for up to 25% of total house heat loss. While replacing your home’s doors and windows is a more expensive green retrofit, it can have a real impact on both summer cooling and winter heating costs, helping you save on monthly energy bills.

Draftproof home

Draftproofing your home has multiple benefits. Also known as weather stripping, draftproofing gaps and cracks around windows and doors, light switches, electrical outlets, and air vents reduces heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Draftproofing also has the benefit of dampening outdoor noise and keeping pesky insects outside.

Install solar panels (solar PV)

Solar panels are a great alternative energy source for homes in southwest BC and can help lower your electricity bills. While solar panels can’t provide back-up power on their own during a power outage, coupling them with a home battery system may allow your home to remain powered during outages.