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Home energy efficiency workshops upcoming
Home energy efficiency workshops for realtors, home inspectors and local government officials are coming soon to the East Kootenay.
Facilitated by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Energy Manager, in cooperation with the Kootenay Real Estate Board, āBuilding Knowledge of Home Energy Efficiencyā will be presented in each of Invermere, Fernie, and Kimberley, March 7-9.
In this accredited, innovative training, participants will learn to incorporate home energy performance into the home selling/buying experience and help clients to access incentives and rebates associated with home energy efficiency.
Local building companies will lead afternoon home tours in each of the three communities, showcasing the high-performance, energy-efficient features of their houses.
Meredith Hamstead, co-owner of think Bright Homes of Invermere explains, āEnergy efficient homes will have an audit report that certifies the homeās performance potential. There should be no guess work. Audits are one way that realtorsĀ can assess the added value of a home for buyers.Ā EnerGuide, Energy StarĀ and Passive House, are examples of performance systems with fixed energy efficiency ratings.
RealtorsĀ should be demanding that municipalities implement [BC Energy] Step Code for new homes so that they can easily understand how a building will perform over time. Step one, not so good.Ā Step five, amazing. Easy to understand, easy to explain to homebuyers. Realtors should also understand how different ratings likeĀ EnerGuideĀ or Passive House correspond to the steps in the [BC Energy] Step Code.ā
These workshops are part of the larger āBuilding A Legacyā initiative that aims to raise awareness of energy efficient solutions in residential construction for East Kootenay builders, government, residents, and now,Ā realtors. The workshops will be led by realtors, Rob Grey, Energy Advisor, Chris Wiebe, and local, high-performance home builders in each of the East Kootenay communities.
For further information and to register go to the East Kootenay Energy Hub site.
These training opportunities are brought by the Energy Manager of the Regional District of the East Kootenay, with funding from the Real Estate Foundation of BC, BC Hydro and Fortis BC, in collaboration with the REEP Program Team and the Kootenay Real Estate Board.
The Energy Manager position of the RDEK is facilitated through the Community Energy Association (CEA), an organization that supports local governments in developing and implementing community energy and emissions plans (also known as climate action plans, community energy plans, and local action plans). They also help local governments with carbon neutral action plans for their operations. Current research and implementation includes biomass district heating, electric vehicles, home energy retrofits, and green economic development. CEA facilitates the BC Mayors Climate Leadership Council.
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