Regional Energy Efficiency Program

The Regional District Central Kootenay (RDCK) is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy. The Regional Energy Efficiency Program (REEP) has three options for saving energy and money in your home. By participating, you will access help through the process such as next steps, energy advisors, contractors, rebates, and low interest financing.

The Regional Energy Efficiency Program is here to help.

Home Owners and Renters learn more and register: 

 

 

HOME RENOVATION

 

 

   

 

This is for homeowners who are interested in completing a home energy assessment for interest, house sale or are looking at carrying out home renovations:

 

By registering for REEP, you will recieve:

  1. A dedicated team to support you through your renovation journey

  2. Information on currentl upgrade options, technologies, energy advisors, contractors, rebates, incentives and low-interest financing

  3. Support in booking an EnerGuide audit both before and after your renovation

  4. Register to have an EnerGuide home energy evaluation, and you will learn where heat is escaping and which energy upgrades you should focus on.
    This is also the FIRST STEP required in the Canada Greener Homes Grant (where you can get grants up to $5,000 towards energy upgrades and discounted EnerGuide evaluations 

 

 

  

 FREE to participate: 

 

 

ENERGY CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

 


  

 

If you rent or own your home and qualify based on your household income, this program offers free installation and supply of energy efficient products.

 

Some homes may even qualify for a free upgraded refrigerator, insulation and/or a new heat pump.

 

 

     

  

FREE to participate:                                      

 

LOOKING FOR REBATES?

To support the move to high performance building, there are numerous rebates available for new for exisiting homes.

Rebates can be seen here:
https://betterhomesbc.ca/

NEW HOMES

A new home is one of the biggest investments a person will make and will be a huge part of your life for years to come. Get the most out of your home by planning, designing and building a new home informed by energy modeling. Maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing operation costs is most effective and least expensive when done from the design stage. 

The Energy Assessment, combined with air tightness testing allows you to see the performance of your home right from design stage.

The RDCK as per the updated BC Building Code requires every new building to deliver a level of energy-efficiency performance equivalent to 20% more energy efficient over a 2018 baseline building. With this increase in Energy Step Code requirements, small residential homes (Part 9) will be required to meet Step 3, with more complex buildings (Part 3) required to meet Step 2. 

Step Code aims to “building beyond the standard” that requires energy modeling and end-of-construction testing to ensure your home is built to perform well in terms of comfort, energy efficiency and of course safety. 

More information on the Energy Step Code including case studies and building permit processes can be seen on our step code webpage.

 

See The Heat


With the RDCK’s See the Heat program, you can borrow a thermal imaging camera from your library to See The Heat that escapes from your home.

The thermal imaging camera connects to your smart phone so you can learn more about the energy efficiency of your home. It allows you to see how well your house is insulated, how well doors and windows seal, what plugins and outlets are particularly leaky, and the effects of leaving chimney flues open when not in use.

Thermal images can help you discover opportunities that you might have to improve the comfort and energy performance of your house.

See the Heat is offered through the RDCK’s Regional Energy Efficiency Program (REEP).

 

How to participate

Borrow a thermal camera from the library in Creston, Castlegar, Nakusp, or Nelson and bring it home.

1.       Getting started

  • Open the kit and plug in the camera to ensure that it’s charged.
  • Download the free FLIR ONE app from your app store.
  • Connect the fully charged camera to your Android or IOS smart phone.
  • Open the FLIR App and follow directions for camera use.
  • When using a thermal imaging camera to find energy losses, the difference in temperature between the inside of the building and the outside should ideally be at least 10 °C.

2. Familiarize yourself with the camera

Get to know the camera by trying these ideas.

  • Like to sleep with a window open? Or do you leave a bathroom window open a crack? Compare inside and outside photos of that window with others that you keep shut.
  • Do you have a fireplace and sometimes forget to close your flue? Take a picture of the inside and outside of your chimney.
  • Do you leave power bars on with unused electronics plugged in? Take a picture and see the phantom load turn to heat.
  • Do you leave the door open while you bring in the groceries? Or while you take your shoes off? Take a picture of your door frame after leaving the door open for three minutes.
  • Do you have a fireplace or other natural gas appliance that you use infrequently but have a pilot light burning? Take a photo of it to see the heat.

 3.       Taking your photos

To get the most value from your time with the camera, it is best to be methodical. Pick a natural starting point in your house, such as a front or back door, and go from there. If you do this in order, you will be able to prioritize which simple retrofits to do first.

Take photos from the inside of:

  • all windows
  • all doors
  • chimneys
  • all electrical outlets and light switches on outer walls
  • all outer walls (look for cold transferring through wall studs)
  • inside dryer long after the most recent drying cycle
  • any other locations (i.e. kitchen fans, bathroom fans, fresh air or exhaust vents) that perforate the outer wall of your house

 4.       Interpreting your results

Look at your images to see where you find orange and yellow spots. They show heat. Blue and purple images show cool spots. Your hot spots can indicate where energy is being wasted and where you might be interested in making changes to reduce your energy use.

Quick fixes to consider:

  • door and window weatherstripping
  • electrical switch and outlet insulator
  • plastic window insulation

 

Energy efficiency resources

  • Learn more about how much energy your home uses by registering for a home energy evaluation through the Regional Energy Efficiency Program (REEP). Grants are available for energy-efficiency retrofits.
  • CleanBC - Find rebate incentives for your existing residential home, new residential home, existing commercial building, or new commercial building.
  • Low/no-cost energy reduction techniques - Discover no-cost and low-cost tips on how to save money on your energy bills and make your home more comfortable.

 

Thermal imaging camera support

 

The content on this page was last updated April 29 2024 at 3:38 AM

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