The single greatest way to improve the energy efficiency of your home is to seal and insulate your home’s “envelope” – its outer walls, ceiling, doors, windows and floors.  Using non-toxic sealants and insulation made from natural or recycled materials containing a high “R” value (heat resistance value) will reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

More Information

• CMHC Insulating your Home Fact Sheet: Learn more about how you can improve your home’s energy efficiency through improvements to its insulation.
• Natural Resources Canada Residential Home Online Resources: Find out how you can conserve energy through home improvements, building an energy-efficient new home or by choosing the most energy-efficient appliances and heating or cooling equipment.
• Home Energy Evaluation Services: Learn more about the options that Manitoba Hydro has for you to find out how much energy your home uses, and how you can make it more energy efficient. Please note the Power Smart In-home Pre-retrofit Evaluation program ended March 31, 2011.
• Power Smart for Your Home: Learn how the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart program can help you improve your home’s comfort and energy efficiency with high efficiency-fixtures and appliances.
• Learn About the Signs of Insulation Problems and Insulation Effectiveness: Learn how to make your house well sealed, well insulated and properly ventilated.
• R-2000 Home: Learn about the criteria and benefits of Natural Resource Canada's R-2000 building standard.

Grants and Refund Programs

• Power Smart Home Insulation Program: Offers financial incentives on the purchase of insulation (up to 100% of the material cost) that meets eligibility requirements and insulating work that meets the minimum Power Smart levels.  
• Manitoba Hydro’s Lower Income Energy Efficiency Program: The Lower Income Energy Efficiency Program makes it easy for qualifying homeowners to reduce their energy costs and improve the comfort of their home through a free in-home energy efficiency review and basic energy saving items; free qualifying insulation upgrades; and a new high efficiency natural gas furnace for only $19/month for a fixed term.

Help us keep this information current. If you know of a web page with good information on this topic, or if you know of a grant or refund program that could help fund a home greening project please let us know by sending an email to yourgreenerhome@assiniboine.mb.ca.