When Denis Dumas bought his home 17 years ago, he knew that energy upgrades were in the cards. The house was built in 1913 and had many of the original features like windows and doors, very little in the way of insulation, and a damp basement.
Located in Ottawa’s desirable Old Ottawa South neighbourhood, the home was charming. But it wasn’t energy efficient, which resulted in draughts, moisture, high energy bills, and inconsistent air circulation. It was also, like most homes in Ottawa today, heated by natural gas, something Dumas wanted to change.
“Considering what is happening to the environment, with climate change, any part you can do to reduce your emissions is a step in the right direction.”
Denis Dumas
Fast forward to 2023 and the home is not just beautiful and charming, with many of the century features intact, but also fully electric, and very comfortable to live in. Energy bills are noticeably reduced, and a geothermal system keeps the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, with no need for additional heating or cooling systems.
The Retrofit Journey
Dumas started his energy retrofit journey in 2009. The first step was getting a home energy assessment. That assessment, which was carried out by one of EnviroCentre’s Registered Energy Advisors, provided him with the information he needed to map out the upgrades he needed.
Because he was sure he wanted his home to be fully electric, he opted for a geothermal heat pump with an electric furnace as a backup. Other upgrades included damp proofing the foundations, replacing windows and doors, air sealing, and of course insulating the foundations, the walls and the roof.
“I think a lot of people can afford to do what we’ve done. It’s definitely worth spending the money, it does reduce your energy costs overall”, says Dumas. But it’s about more than just saving money, it’s about doing the right thing.
“The only way to go forward is to electrify everything … eventually the power generation will be non-polluting and we will be much better off to cut emissions completely”, concludes Dumas.
Technical Details
By prioritizing the building envelope, Dumas insulated the exterior walls with blown cellulose insulation and installed new energy-efficient windows and doors. This was followed up by insulating the exterior of the foundation walls, adding waterproofing, and replacing the basement slab floor with an insulated floor with built-in hydronic heating from the geothermal heat pump.
Lastly, wanting to reduce emissions, Denis installed a geothermal heat pump system, with wells placed in the driveway of the house. The geothermal system works entirely on electrical supply, and efficiently transfers heat from the deep underground wells into the house and then dumps excess heat in the summer into the ground allowing for both heating and cooling throughout the year.
By completing these upgrades, Denis was able to reduce the total energy required to heat and cool the house by 68.3%, as well as ending their natural gas reliance entirely. These upgrades reduced on-site emissions to zero, with only the electrical supply creating carbon emissions.
Before the upgrades, the house emitted roughly 11.01 tonnes of co²e, which was reduced to 0.68 tonnes of co²e after the building upgrades, and electrifying the HVAC systems. This reduction is equivalent to roughly 2.4 cars being taken off the road per year.
A note from EnviroCentre
This renovation was carried out prior to the availability of rebates and incentives. A similar renovation today would qualify for up to $10,000 in rebates and incentives through the HER+ program, as well as low-cost and zero-interest loans through programs like Better Homes Ottawa Loan Program and the Greener Homes Loan Program.
Curious to know what a deep energy retrofit might look like in your home? Book a free call with our Energy Coaches today. We also offer a Retrofit Planner service to help manage your upgrade project.
Ready to get started right away? Book a home energy assessment with EnviroCentre today.