On Tuesday, Sustainable Buildings Canada hosted an integrated design workshop on Energiesprong at Algonquin College. Energiesprong is a program that was started in the Netherlands to refurbish homes to make them more comfortable and dramatically more energy efficient. Existing homes are over-clad with new highly-insulated wall and assemblies. Old windows are swapped out with new, high-efficiency, well-sealed windows. These upgrades greatly reduce heat losses, make homes much more comfortable, and eliminate cold draughts. The heating system is replaced with a high efficiency heat pump system. Solar panels are built into the roof assembly to generate energy, and most homes in the Energiesprong program are able to achieve net-zero energy. With net-zero energy, these homes generate as much energy from their solar panels as they use for heating, for hot water, and for household appliances on an annual basis.

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Energiesprong launches into affordable housing programs in new markets, allowing the program to aggregate demand and create customized solutions that can be scaled across a large number of units. Retrofits are paid for by financing which is coupled to energy cost savings, greatly reducing or even eliminating up-front costs to homeowners.

Sustainable Buildings Canada is bringing the Energiesprong program to Ontario and is working with affordable housing programs in Toronto and Ottawa to identify opportunities. Arborus Consulting brought its expertise in solar power and energy efficiency to Tuesday’s workshop at Algonquin College. We are excited to see this program come to Ontario, and are hopeful that it can make a significant impact on energy efficiency while also providing people with more comfortable and affordable homes.