FAQ’s
What is the PerformancePlus program?
PerformancePlus is Nova Scotia’s new home energy efficiency program. It provides expert advice to help you make more informed choices when you build your new home. The program’s goal is to encourage Nova Scotians to build energy efficient homes. Rebate amounts increase based on the home’s energy performance. The higher your home’s EnerGuide rating, the more efficient the home.
How does the program work?
After the home is registered in the program, a certified energy evaluator models its energy performance based on the building plans. The EnerGuide analysis estimates the home's future energy costs and provides an initial EnerGuide rating. Potential upgrades to improve the new home's energy efficiency will be recommended. The builder and/or the homeowner decides which upgrades make sense to include.
After the home is built, an EnerGuide evaluator does an on-site inspection to test its air tightness and verify its energy efficiency features. This determines the home's final EnerGuide rating. The rebate amount will be based on this rating and the additional electricity –saving measures offered under this program. The rebate will be issued to the homeowner, but the owner may also assign it to the builder in exchange for a reduced purchase price.
Is it open to builders?
This program is for anyone building a new home in Nova Scotia.
What does it cost?
The cost for the energy audit is $300 plus HST. This cost easily pays for itself in energy savings and other benefits. Efficiency Nova Scotia subsidizes the audit cost by an additional $300.
What rebates are available?
Rebates begin at $3,000 for a new home with an EnerGuide rating of 83 or 84. Homes with a rating of 85 to 87 will receive $5,000, and homes with an EnerGuide rating of 88 and above will receive $7,000.
How do I register?
Once you’ve confirmed that the new home is eligible (see eligibility requirements below), you can register by contacting:
AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service at 1-855-469-1119 or 462-7883 in HRM
Nova Scotia Homebuilders' Association at 1-800-668-2001
Sustainable Housing and Education Consultants at 1-877-722-2842
How long do I have to register and to complete my home?
You will have one year to complete the home once it is registered and have its final EnerGuide assessment.
Why should I register for this program? Won’t more expensive energy-efficient houses take longer to build and be harder to sell?
Quality materials and the extra attention to detail may make an energy efficient home more expensive to build. But when all the annual costs (principal interest, taxes, and energy) are added together, an energy efficient home can actually cost less to own. This is especially true for PerformancePlus houses, where generous rebates can offset much of the cost of improvements. As time passes and energy costs increase, monthly savings from owning an energy efficient home become even larger. This should make an energy efficient home easier for you to sell. If you are a builder, it will provide your client with a home that offers superior comfort, air quality, and higher resale value. An energy efficient home also reduces the environmental footprint of housing, and assists the province in achieving its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Who is eligible to apply for the program?
PerformancePlus is intended to inform and encourage builders and homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements to their new home plans. In order to have the most impact, it is important that the new home is in the planning stage so that changes can still be made based on the home’s energy audit.
Who registers houses that are built for a specific client - the builder or the client? Who gets the rebate?
Either the builder or the client (homeowner) may register the home, but the rebate will go to the owner, unless the owner chooses to assign the rebate to the builder.
Can I register houses that are built without a purchase agreement?
The home does not have to be sold in order to register it in this program.
I have unsold energy efficient homes that were completed before the program was announced. Can I still get rebates?
No. Completed houses are not eligible for PerformancePlus rebates.
Can I still get rebates from Efficiency Nova Scotia’s Solar Rebate Program if the home qualifies for rebates through this program?
Yes. In addition to PerformancePlus rebates, you can apply for up to $1,250 in rebates through the separate Solar Rebate Program, click here.
What is an EnerGuide Rating? How do I get one?
An EnerGuide rating shows a standard measure of your home's energy performance. It shows you (and future buyers) exactly how energy efficient your home is. The rating is calculated based on standard operation assumptions so that you can compare the energy performance of one house against another. The home's energy efficiency level is rated on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating of 0 represents a home with major air leakage, no insulation and extremely high energy consumption. A rating of 100 represents a house that is airtight, well insulated, sufficiently ventilated and requires no purchased energy on an annual basis. (Natural Resources Canada)
What can I do to increase the EnerGuide rating of the houses I build?
Each energy efficiency choice you make can impact the home’s EnerGuide rating - from the size and position of the home to the type and levels of insulation to the type of heating equipment you install. The EnerGuide advisor can provide you with recommendations for increasing the home’s EnerGuide rating.
Are there different levels of performance?
This program is intended to encourage Nova Scotians to strive for the most energy efficient homes they can afford. While a rating of 80 is considered energy efficient by most standards, in Nova Scotia it is the minimum requirement for new houses.
PerformancePlus rebates are available for homes at the following EnerGuide levels:
82 or lower – $0
83 and 84 – $3,000
85, 86, and 87 – $5,000
88 or higher – $7,000
How do the levels in this program differ from the new building code minimum standards?
As of January 1, 2010, new energy efficiency and water conservation standards became part of the provincial building code. Under the building code, new houses must achieve an EnerGuide rating of 80, or be built to prescriptive minimum energy standards.
Under PerformancePlus, a minimum EnerGuide rating of 83 is required in order to qualify for rebates.
Will a higher rating improve the quality and value of the home?
Yes. A higher rating will not only lead to higher rebates, it will also result in a home that is energy efficient and less expensive to heat, more comfortable and has better air quality and higher resale value.
I am a builder, where can I/my employees get more training on energy efficient construction?
The Nova Scotia Home Builders Association (NSHBA) or Atlantic Home Warranty provide professional development on energy efficient construction.