178. Renovate your home to net-zero - it can be done!

[@KJSvitko]

Things to consider when doing a new build or retrofit. Air sealing, super insulation, triple pane windows, high efficiency furnace and air conditioning, LED lighting, energy efficient appliances, set back thermostats, solar panels, battery storage and a 220 volt outlet in the garage for an electric vehicle charger. Some or all of these things will make a building more comfortable and reduce energy costs. I dropped my utility bill by 30% when I had the home air sealed. Well worth the expense. Too many people only look at the up front cost and want the cheapest. Pay a little more and look at the long term savings and you will save a lot of money year after year, spring, summer, fall and winter. An added benefit of solar is that you can drive your electric car powered by the sun. No more stopping at a gas station.

[@twiincentral8780]

Would love to hear more about what you did for air sealing and insulation? Most of the retrofits like this video involves significant expense. Wondering if other things can get you lost of the way there.

[@KJSvitko]

@@twiincentral8780 My utility company offered an energy audit program. I took them up on it. They had a sub contractor come out and blower door test the house and make recommendations and a price to do them. They sealed air leaks from can lights, bathroom fans, and any pipe going thru to the attic from below. They also seal along the top of the basement wall. Air sealing works. The home was more comfortable right away and my utility bills dropped. Well worth the money spent.

[@twiincentral8780]

@@KJSvitko thanks for sharing. Can I ask how old your house is? Mine is around 19 years old and I feel like there shouldn’t be that many air leaks through the ceiling.

[@KJSvitko]

@@twiincentral8780 Energy efficiency standards did not really improve much until about 2010 after the financial crisis. Most older homes were never leak tested. My home is older 1973 but it was built to be more energy efficient than what most builders were doing at the time. There are a lot of videos talking about air sealing and blower door testing. The best thing would be to pay for a blower door test and see how many air exchanges you have every hour. That will tell you how leaky the house is compared to current standards and give you an idea of what you can do to reduce the leaks. It is worth the money. All new homes are required to get blower door tested in my area. When they do the test they also look for and identify leaks. It is an interesting process. Most homes are not built very air tight. Code requirements are getting stricter but there is still a lot of shoddy work.

[@twiincentral8780]

@@KJSvitko thanks, really appreciate your reply. I actually just did a blower door test, I’m waiting for the person to send me the report/numbers. While doing it he mostly said it was air around windows and doors. Didn’t mention anything about attic.

[@MrPeterext]

We did spend close to 100K however we were doing an exterior reno anyways. The siding, windows and mechanical were being replaced, so the total investment over and above what we were doing anyways was only about 40K, of which 3k was added insulation, 7k was upgrade to mechanical/ventilation systems, and 30k was solar PV.

[@bighaasfly]

Peter Darlington which then opened you up to the rebate programs. So that's an advantage as well.

[@MrPeterext]

I would if I did the renovation today, however the rebates were not available when I did my renovation and are not retroactive.

[@twiincentral8780]

Curious if you added insulation all around the house or just the front of the house?

[@markthomasson5077]

So , 40k, say you can borrow that for 5%, (if you are lucky) cost, 2k per year. What is the payback?

[@markthomasson5077]

ps, well done.

[@janruhl6070]

At 3:05 - 3:08 talking about the liquid applied vapour barrier ... "dramatically reduced the air tightness of the building" I am thinking he really means increased the air tightness ... reduced the actual air leakage.

[@dlg5485]

It's not just about saving money people! For the life of me, I can't understand why so few people fully grasp the dire state of our planet. It's fine to want to save money, but it's FAR more important to ensure that there is a habitable planet for future generations, if you care about anything other than yourself, and I'm not just talking about your own neck of the woods. If the ice caps melt in India and if the Middle East and Africa become uninhabitable in 50 years, where do you think all those billions of people will go? We will see mass migration the like of which we've never seen. It is way past time for people to wake up and realize that net zero and passive house building techniques are essential to get to a livable future. Saving money on utilities is merely a bonus. Especially if you're building a new home, it would be idiotic not to make it as efficient as possible. SOlar doesn;t have to be a part of the equation initially, but it can be added later. However, high levels of insulation, triple pane windows and high efficiency mechanicals should be part of every new home build.

[@johnjacobjinglehimerschmid3555]

Would have been awesome to see some process of remodel pictures. To see the outside insulation added etc etc etc.

[@DominicNSX]

Great episode! We did exactly the same thing! We did use spray foam in some parts of the home for much higher R value. Next step is to replace the many doors with better quality ones. With the solar system we also charge an electric car and tractor. These are the most valuable types of renovations, your return is 200% when selling!

[@solarhomesinc6927]

Agree 100%, add the EV into the equation and the payback can be better than 5% tax free increasing savings for life. Never pay for gasoline or natural gas again...

[@beebob1279]

@@solarhomesinc6927 That would have to be a good size solar system to charge an electric car?

[@solarhomesinc6927]

Hi Bob, It doesn’t take a very big solar system to supply electric car

[@beebob1279]

@@solarhomesinc6927 Thanks.

[@slippinslidewayz]

I just can’t justify that kind of expense for that little return unless the comps could handle that dramatic of an upgrade. I don’t know that area but there’s only a few neighborhoods here that could.

[@julesfalcone]

Marine: They always tend to leave out how incredibly expensive this is.

[@michelec6596]

looking into solar, I have been told that only 1/3 of the energy needs are met in the winter - due to less efficiency of the solar and supposedly the less sun time.

[@whynot5716]

I have a stuccoed home with a cement barrel tile roof. Would I have to replace the roof and stucco siding? The cost would be immense for a 4200 sqft home?

[@areion7794]

Hi, what was the home exterior surface before you added the insulation ?

[@keithconnolly7247]

Would love to do it with my home. In this part of Canada, I pay almost $6,000 a year to heat and light my 1970's home by electricity.

[@barneytwidale4017]

what part of Canada do you live in?

[@keithconnolly7247]

@@barneytwidale4017 St. John's, Newfoundland

[@barneytwidale4017]

Hmm thought you would've had natural gas there. Way cheaper to heat with NG

[@rodgau7893]

Great enthusiasm, but the payback could be over 50 years. I wonder how much more a new Net Zero home costs over a regular home? I suspect it's less than a $95K delta. So, do you think it makes sense for some to sell their existing home and build new instead?

[@MrPeterext]

Yes for some. Some want a specific neighbourhood. I don't think most existing homes need to be torn down and rebuilt.

[@masterdebater8757]

Less than 20% additional to new construction.

[@sienalaurel]

Is that the Mitsubishi PVA air handler? How difficult was the swap out? How has it been these past 3 years - happy with the system?

[@GeorgeHawirkoStyroHome]

A great example of an Energy Retrofit. The Exterior Envelope upgrade can be tricky, you don't want to introduce extra Air or Vapour Barriers in the wrong places. Not sure what the Liquid applied barrier applied to this project accomplished. The Exterior Envelope upgrade should be the source of external Barriers.

[@beebob1279]

So, around 95 grand for his house. I re-sided my house and put a small foam underneath the siding. New windows at the same time. However, I know my duct work is garbage but it's so expensive to have it replaced. I've installed energy efficient appliances as the older ones ran their course. As for the upstairs, I need to improve somewhere because in the summer it's unbearable. I did have my heating guy add a return line upstairs because frankly, the builder cheated on this aspect and never put in an upstairs air return. This is what I did. As for solar, my area won't take solar because of the trees around the house. My electric bills for the 2400 Sf house in summer are about 100 dollars a month. In winter when it's cold I'll pay close to 300 a month. This is the one that hurts. An insert wood burner helps, but the back rooms get to cool for my wife. We have no oil or gas. Hooking up a gas line would cost 15 to 20 grand. Using gas won't solve the heating issue but just transfer the cost to another fuel source.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

Hi Bob, Have you considere an air source heat pump or mini-split?

[@beebob1279]

@@solarhomesinc6927 My house does use an electric heat pump and air conditioner. I would consider something for the upstairs such as a small split just to cool it down in summer. The house isn't really tight either and I know that doesn't help. I did what I could when I was younger with little money. I may need to consider having the upstairs tightened up. The contractor from the 70's did a poor job of that. When I re-sided and replaced windows, I found uninsulated walls on the north side and shaded side of the house. I did what I could at the time and insulated. It's a process, that 's for sure. I can do most of the work myself, except for the HVAC system.

[@wolfiedasoulpup3317]

What are the names of the products that you just mentioned and where do you buy them?

[@codycasserly8304]

I don't think specific products matter. Like mentioned, insulated walls/roof, thick windows,efficient mechanicals, and solar panels. Prob best off buying direct from manufacturer

[@KJSvitko]

All new construction or remodels should be energy efficient. There is no good reason to waste energy and waste money month after month. Saving energy save money month after month, year after year. Why give your money needlessly to the utility company. I'm sure you could find better uses for it.

[@mxachary]

If that were done, a lot of jobs that thrive on inefficiency would be lost!

[@KJSvitko]

@@mxachary Humans are crowding out all other species of plants and animals. Population needs to be in balance with jobs, resources, nature and the environment. Men need to take more responsibility for their children or get a vasectomy.

[@Monsiemage]

I was a "outlier" I guess, a builder in my area that strived on basic efficiency. "I live in Arkansas" . House was slightly above market value for the size, 1850sqft 199,000$ for the house. All Led 30 year warranty lights, highest efficiency dual unit "heat pump/AC" blown in attic insulation actually insulated the walls "might sound crazy most builders here DONT", I think it's basic low cost insulation but they ARE insulated. All electric home, my average electric bill is 85$ a month. He came over to install my dryer vent as this was a new construction house, he's close to the same age as me and was kind of tearing up because this sub-division I live in got taken over by some "Very low cost national building company" I asked when I moved in and got my first couple of electric bills what my neighbor across the street was paying, 250$-350$ electric bills "their house was built by low cost building company" Their house was also only 10,000$ cheaper than mine. I hate it but regular people look at the price of the house, and not how well built it is, My mortgage is much lower than my neighbors across the street if you include electric bills. Also with the artic surge that happened here, all their pipes froze and busted, mine did not, because my builder used PEX-3 and actually insulated the pipes with above average insulation. Sometimes buying from "The lowest builder" is actually just costing you shit tons of money. I actually cared, I actually asked about wall insulation, and energy efficiency, and I've recommended this builder from one year of owning the house, ditch this companies building cheap houses, buy a house that saves you money, I don't care if it's 400sqft or 4000sqft. Efficiency in a house will save you more than the stock market can make you!

[@KJSvitko]

@@Monsiemage Saving energy means you save money in the long run. Too many people only look for the cheapest upfront cost missing out on long term savings and money in the bank. an energy efficient house is more comfortable to live in and saves money.

[@dosadoodle]

@@KJSvitko I'd love to see regulations requiring disclosure when a home is listed for sale on what the 30y operating cost is expected to be based on air tightness, insulation, and climate. The timeline of 30y would also match the typical mortgage period. Even just a color coding of green, yellow, and red for meeting air tightness and insulation levels for a climate zone would help signal quality. Few people will want to buy a home rated as red in terms of build quality.

[@mikecampanella1990]

Lol basically 100k in renovations. That's a terrible return on investment. It's the cost of many people's mortgage to begin with. A peel and stick housewrap, some closed cell spray foam in the rim joists and basement, dense pack cellulose and loose fill cellulose with well sealed windows and insulated doors will be a huge energy saver for anyone interested and not wanting to spend at least 85k extra to make your home energy efficient.

[@siriosstar4789]

"Dramatically REDUCED the air tightness of the building" ? i think you mean , INCREASED the air tightness of the building .

[@johnsradios484]

If you are doing a Reno, why not add the extra to install insulation and get a energy efficient home.

[@crazieeez]

A typical home electricity bill is $150 a month. 12 months, $1,800. 10 years, $18,000. Warranty of solar panels is 10 years. If you spend $95,000 on the solar panels and in 10 years, you have to replace them, the return on investment is -$77,000.

[@keithconnolly7247]

Depends on where you live and the age of your house. I pay close to $6,000 a year for heat and light.

[@twiincentral8780]

Can that exterior insulation be applied over a brick wall?

[@iwillforgetthis100]

What about the foundation, I was under the impression that all these net zero homes put insulation under the pad to combat thermal bridging?

[@MrPeterext]

When you're dealing with a renovation, you have to improve some areas because you can't access others (under slab).

[@kusali11]

Is that Vanilla Ice at the end?

[@allpal3077]

way to expansive if you just did windows, insulation and gshp will cost you about 30K or less same effect.

[@JugheadJones03]

This is still a grid tied system yes? No battery backup. So technically when he mentions the panels will provide all the power he needs that is when the sun is up. The rest of the time the system runs on Alberta's 90-95% fossil fuel grid ets.aeso.ca/ets_web/ip/Market/Reports/CSDReportServlet. That point should have been made. Still, good on you Peter for making great steps for reducing your footprint substantially, instead of buying a jacked up truck or a boat or something! : )

[@jeanlanz2344]

95K? Makes more sense to build a new well-insulated home with triple pane windows, a solar array and air source heat pump.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

To tear down an inner city home and rebuild would be well over 400k in Calgary

[@dylanm3519]

@@solarhomesinc6927 people have no idea about costs. As a millennial purchasing a house from a baby-boomer it absolutely pisses me off how cheap they are and how much profit they want to make off the next generations. We will definitely be in contact with you down the road, maybe after we oust the UCP in 4 years.

[@mjlyco9752]

I pay ~$2,500 per year for all electricity and heating. This would never pay for itself. :/ I would do it for a forever home, but I don't know if I'm staying here.

[@beebob1279]

I did what I could about twenty years ago. It isn't what could be done today. However, your costs are so out of touch that I would talk to my wife about moving and having a net zero or passive solar house built

[@beebob1279]

@@greenenergyfutures I watched the video and would like to see more of a push here in the states. The only personal need that I would have is to be in a single dwelling home and not a 'row' house set up. I just need much more space than what they are giving. Just a preference.

[@DavidDodgeyeg]

@@beebob1279 On the new side we have been tracking net-zero almost since inception at GreenEnergyFutures.ca We recently did a story on a 30-year-old builder in Guelph, Ontario that has moved to build net-zero ready and ONLY net-zero ready homes. This is a huge step in the evolution of the super-efficient home, since this also means they have learned how to sell these homes and that the market is beginning to understand the benefits. Here's the story: www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/terraview-builds-net-zero-and-only-net-zero-homes

[@goodgirlsguide]

3:40 you mean a fridge 😂

[@triforcelink]

expected maintenance costs?

[@MrPeterext]

Very little. I design my exteriors to be maintenance free, and the solar requires no maintenance except being washed once every few years.

[@CobaltNorthernStudios]

I want to install in-floor radiant heat can a heat pump support a hydronic heating system efficiently?

[@ML-lg4ky]

David Watts No but a small high efficiency boiler would do the job and cost pennies to operate.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

Absolutely

[@theenergygeek9148]

Refurbishing homes to be energy efficient is the most effective way of conserving energy because it doesn't leave as big a carbon footprint as starting from scratch

[@beebob1279]

At least you aren't opening new ground to do it. Environmental damage from digging basements is tough too. The price of the renovation does need to come down. If you're going to piece meal it then you better have a good plan

[@MattTomAndy]

Mr. Wonderfuls hippy Canadian cousin

[@thirstquencher3203]

Music is a little intense... 🤷‍♂️

[@itskarl79]

3:03 dramatically **increased** .....

[@harryjoannarce2283]

What kind of insulation was used on the exterior

[@solarhomesinc6927]

It’s EPS as part of an EIFS assembly.

[@smg222]

What is the square footage of Peter's home?

[@MrPeterext]

We have 2500 sqft developed, which includes 900 sqft developed basement.

[@PaulBodyBuilder]

Weekly Episodes Please

[@thekingtroll2]

$.08 cents per kwh. I pay half that in Ohio.

[@Ligonest]

dude that's Canadian Dollar

[@paperwait9611]

you're using an air source heat pump in canada??? have you tested this out over a winter yet? i recall seeing a video from a guy in england who decided to build a passive house that had no furnace and relied on the heat from appliances and from occupants. it didn't work out so well in practice.

[@paperwait9611]

the lowest temperature heat pumps of which i am aware are made by mitsubishi and they go down to -25c with about 73% efficiency. who makes heat pumps that go down to -30c? i looked into getting a geothermal heat pump but the cost was prohibitive (i received a bid of some $44,000). i am now looking at air source heat pumps with an air handler, but for the north central US and central canada natural gas seems hard to beat in terms of cost effectiveness. i like the idea of a heat pump for many of the same reasons that you indicated in your video as i am also considering installation of solar panels.

[@MrPeterext]

My Mitsubishi Zuba has a 12.5 kW radiant heat coil as a backup because it is only rated to -25 or so. However, the first year I did not turn the backup on as a test and it kept our home warm through the -30 spells. Mine was plugged into the existing ductwork.

[@duallinguallady-aishaahmed1812]

Again, another concept of saving money can happen only if you are rich enough to afford it!

[@beebob1279]

Not true! Put the plan together and then do it a little at a time. I did it twenty one years ago with what I could afford to do. My next step is to now re-insulate the home. My windows are fine but I now need to tighten up the house. It's leaky. But what I did twenty years ago helped a lot. Slow and sure wins the race. Maybe start with upgraded appliances when your older ones need replacing. That was the second step in my plan. The appliances are aging and breaking down. SO, the next generations of efficient appliances will happen. Good luck

[@vivalaleta]

Why use so much plastic to insulate? Make better choices.

[@Chimonger1]

SOUND?!? Music plays too loud no matter what. Details: ==Music track is primary/dominant feed, making voice inaudible...but... ==Voice is more audible in Left speaker of headset, barely audible in R. speaker of headset; ==NO Voices heard unless volume = maximum; only then can a barely-audible voice be heard, _but then music is too painfully loud!_ This doesn't happen on other videos/movies, as far as I can tell. Using Safari. Not WiFi. High-speed internet; highest connection/speed Just tried viewing in OPERA browser, and it plays fine. Likely plays fine in Guggle. _Apparently, Guggle, Apple, etc. have been FAILING to include backward compatibility, AND Browser compatibility, often exclude Safari compatibility_.

[@boredom9999]

spent $95k on everything? that's a LONG payback.

[@MrPeterext]

This is a renovation on a home that saves you money (2000 after tax dollars annually) . What is the payback on a 100k basement development?

[@jesshansen1397]

So a 40 year payback?????

[@hawiianpwr]

Can't base it on 95k but, what it would cost over a general renovation.

[@krinka1458]

Any payback makes you money

[@barryfields2964]

That comes out to $417 a month for 20 years (I rounded up to $100 thousand) I'm guessing grid tie? So when the power goes out you still in the dark, and cold.

[@MrPeterext]

I am in the dark if the power goes out but because of the added insulation and airtightness my home would stay warm much longer than my neighbours. Also, if I go broke for any reason, my bills are still extremely low.

[@DanielleParkpodcasts]

what's wrong with the sound on the video? I can barely hear whats being said.

[@drzavahercegbosnaponosna5974]

it's about too loud music in the "background" ...

[@drzavahercegbosnaponosna5974]

could you please decrease the volume of music ?? at least when someone is speaking.

[@myphonyaccount]

I hate videos like this. Passive House is better bang for buck. 5% more to build new, 95% lower bills. No solar, standard windows, focus is on air sealing and high insulation. Most homes lack air sealing and air-to-air heat exchangers that let occupants breathe. That's all you really need.

[@nothankyoutube]

Passive houses are nice, but in Minnesota it's pretty difficult

[@ML-lg4ky]

30k for solar is hardly worth it.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

Could do it today for 15k out of pocket

[@masterdebater8757]

Some one isn't telling the whole story because that heat pump isn't going to do anything below 20 degrees F. As well the BTU's required to heat Canadian water in winter is coming from the conditioned air too! Some how he is getting at least 5000watts worth of heat. I don't think any solar system can handle that kind of need and if it does he neglected to tell us how.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

The heatpump is rated to -25C

[@mirola73]

If you've got the cash tear down the house and rebuild is passive style. Sensible investments with a reasonable pay back period yes, everything else isn't really worth it.

[@Teghead]

The 'free energy'-style explanation of the heating and cooling system was pure bullshit.

[@donaldendsley6199]

Huh? It was fairly accurate. It takes less energy to compress a gas until it reaches a certain temperature than it does to use resistance heat to heat it up to that same temperature.

[@Rhaman68]

All nice and wonderful but the $$$$ needed can be quite high specially sealing the envelope. I have solar, very efficient heat pump, good but not excellent Windows (I have 35 windows!).

[@bobbiclinger7500]

He may as well have built another house for that kind of money. Really not worth it.

[@MegaZedlav]

Bobbi Clinger It's worth it if you value the cost of energy on society your home and the future of your children in the home after you're long gone!

[@OU81TWO]

@@MegaZedlav You're children are going to sell your home after you're dead. That's the reality 95% of the time.

[@iwantosavemoney]

Lol 95k renovation just build new get exactly what you want.

[@byronwhiteformulasinc8664]

you kidding, who has 100,000 dollars to do all this and who wants to- more govt interference

[@OrangeJackson]

100K?!? That buys lifetimes of natural gas.

[@solarhomesinc6927]

The energy aspect of the renovation was about 50k but I will never buy gasoline or natural gas again....