We the plunge and committed to the Canadian government’s ecoENERGY Retrofit homes program in a big way. As you can see from our previous posts in this blog, we had an eco audit and based on those recommendations we added more insulation, replaced windows and doors and upgraded to a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner.

By doing this we have accomplished what we set out to do:

1. Lower energy consumption (i.e. our September 2011 energy usage was 30% lower than 2010).

2. Increased the resale value of our home by having an EnergyStar rating of 79 (vs. 61 before we start renovated) which is very good for an older home we are told.

3. Maximized government rebates available (total rebates totaled more than $7,000).

The OPA solar program installs panels on your home's rooftop

Now we are moving on to a new eco-adventure in the form of solar power!!

Not only will we be installing solar panels on our roof but I have just started working for one of Ontario’s biggest and most experienced solar installation companies, SolarLogix.

SolarLogix designs, install and maintain roof top and ground mount solar arrays under the Ontario Power Authority’s MicroFIT program, which is:

• Establishing Ontario as the leader in green renewable energy in North America by encouraging individual property owners to install clean energy solutions that feed into the power grid and allowing them to earn 10% or more return on investment
• Is good for the environment
• Is good for the economy (creating tons of Ontario jobs, more on that in a later blog post)
• Is great for Ontario residents who choose to participate.

( Subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed (top right corner) so you don’t miss any updates.

So the direction of this blog will now change slightly. We will keep you up to date on our own solar panel installation as we go through the process, but we will also use this space to inform you about what’s happening in the green energy movement and what you can do to make a difference.

I look forward to your comments – both about solar energy for homeowners, but anything you read here about our own eco renovations!

Call me at 905-512-8500 or email Doug@ecorenovate.ca

We are Heather and Doug, an Ontario couple who own a drafty 1950s home and dream of renovation. Alas, we have been too lazy and tight with money to have done anything about it in seven years of ownership…. until now.

This is our “EcoRenovate” journey; our goals are to:

1. Recoup upwards of $3,000 from the government for renovations we desperately need.
2. Save hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs.
3. Move our EnerGuide rating from 61% to 82% and get their stamp of approval – meaning a better selling price for our home.
4. Do all this no later than March 31, 2011 to get the rebates back (including the cost of our “before” and “after” home audits).

‘Green Real Estate’ Research

I just lucked into this kind of information. As a self-employed social media and search marketing consultant, one of my clients is a major real estate company in Canada for whom I blog. Every day I monitor dozens of RSS feeds for news sites and blogs about real estate, mortgages, home design, renovation, and the like.

So I was trolling the news feeds and I came across some articles talking about Natural Resources Canada’s ecoENERGY Retrofit program. What? The government wants to give me thousands of dollars for renovations that make my home more energy effiicient?! Could this be finally be the way to convince my frugal spouse to replace our ancient front door or drafty windows?

More than the HRTC

I already knew about the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC), which doesn’t require renos to be eco-friendly, but is the feds’ effort to stimulate the economy by boosting renovation.

Telling my husband about the HRTC did make him perk up his ears and at least consider renovating something in our shabby 60-year-old home. The pilot light of my dream home project was lit!

That was months ago. We haven’t yet sourced a single product or material, or contacted any contractors. We did look at a couple of home design websites briefly, and walked through a local home show to see some doors. (Naturally, our front door turns out to be a non-standard opening requiring a custom order costing thousands more… sigh.)

A Little More Action, a Little Less Conversation

We recently admitted to ourselves that the prospect of a $1,300 tax credit at the end of the year isn’t getting us any closer to a renovation. On top of being tight with money, my husband is lazy and, I confess, I’m not a whole lot different.

That’s when I learned about the ecoENERGY money pool for renovations/retrofits. I couldn’t get on the phone fast enough to tell Doug. Now we feel like we have enough reasons to get off the couch and start seriously renewing our neglected home.

Here we go! Wish us luck! Keep coming back to check on our progress: We will be posting photos from our home projects, short videos, Tweeting about it, and more!

(Auspiciously, we start this blog on July 1st – the birthday of Canada, the greatest nation in the world!)