Positive relationship and collaboration with the three Housing Managers, choosing homes to retrofit, sharing resources, materials and staff as required. Chief and Council see the value in our work and how it benefits the community members and improves the housing stock. Everyone wants to know when their house will be retrofitted!
Benefits of Conservation and Energy Efficiency Work
Improve health of the occupants
- Continuous air exchange with HRV
- Reduced moisture (from crawlspace) and improved control of the moisture with operation of the HRV
- Reduced opportunity for mold growth
Improve comfort for the occupants
- Reduced drafts
- Warmer walls and floors
Improve the durability of the homes
- Less moisture migration into the structure means less damage and longer life
- Helps change housing from being a liability to an asset for the First Nation
Reduce energy bills
- Less electricity required for heating
- Average of 20-25% reduction for heating (≈$600-$900/year)
- Less wood for heating required as well
Addressing the Challenges
- Everyone wants insulation and air sealing work done
- Manage expectations with clear set of criteria of how homes are chosen
- Work with Housing to finalize the list against other work being done to homes
- Some hydro bills are either staying the same or rising after the retrofit is done
- Preliminary survey results and anecdotal evidence indicate some people are reducing how much wood they burn and using baseboards more than before