SaskEnergy announces new rebate program for energy-efficient homes

SaskEnergy’s new rebate for energy-efficient homes WATCH: SaskEnergy has announced a new incentive for homebuilders and buyers to increase the efficiency of new homes.

SaskEnergy has announced a new incentive for homebuilders and buyers to increase the efficiency of new homes. It’s called the Homes Beyond Code program.

The rebate aims to make buying an energy-efficient home more affordable while reducing energy bills.

“The Homes Beyond Code program is SaskEnergy’s newest rebate that encourages Saskatchewan residents to work toward greater energy efficiency in their homes,” said James Gates, director of customer solutions with SaskEnergy.

Provincial building code regulations include energy efficiency tiers meant to progressively increase the efficiency requirements of new homes.

“There’s a lot of challenges that home builders face,” said Nicole Burgess, CEO of Saskatoon Home Builders’ Association.

“Some of that is code changes. With code changes comes added cost. This is helping to offset that to some extent.”

With the new program, tier 3 homes —which are at least 20 per cent more energy efficient than the national building code of Canada— would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate. Homes exceeding tier 5 would be eligible for a $9,000 rebate.

Burgess says builders can make minor changes to house designs that can substantially improve efficiency.

“What we’re really looking at is improving the building envelope by and large to get those higher tier levels, as well as looking at mechanicals,” she said. “So oftentimes builders can make some very small adjustments.”

The program also incentivizes homebuilders to design more energy-efficient homes by offering a rebate of $800 per approved unit.

“Any sort of incentive program of this nature is a positive thing,” Burgess said. “We need more housing, full stop. And in order to get there we’re going to need some additional support.”

SaskEnergy has put aside $800,000 for the program.

It’s eligible for new residential homes on a permanent foundation in Saskatchewan, which are connected to a SaskEnergy natural gas system and is built in compliance with a recognized Energy Advisor.