Nova Scotian woman becomes first Passive House Verifier in Canada
(Dartmouth, NS.) – Natasha Pearce, a Nova Scotia Community College graduate and Program Manager at Efficiency Nova Scotia, has become Canada’s first Passive House Verifier.
Already a Certified Passive House Consultant through Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) this additional certification will allow Pearce to lead the adoption of Passive House standards across the province, specifically in the multi-housing and commercial building markets.
Passive House is an emerging building standard in Nova Scotia that applies energy efficient techniques with comfort. From homes to commercial buildings, these structures use approximately 85 per cent less energy to heat than those built to regular building codes, but look and feel like regular buildings.
Nova Scotia is already leading the way in Passive House construction, having completed several projects. A multi-family home in Truro, built in partnership with Housing Nova Scotia and Passive Design Solutions, won the 2016 Bright Business Innovation Award . The annual heating cost for that home is just over $240, and there was no increase in construction costs.
Pearce sees many more opportunities for results like these in Nova Scotia.
“Now more than ever building or renovating to a Passive House standard makes sense,” says Pearce. “You only have to speak to the occupants of these homes to see that there are multiple benefits, the most common being how comfortable they are in their home year-round. My hope is to assist larger buildings in understanding this standard and help them realise not only the energy savings but the other benefits of adopting the Passive House standard, like helping the environment while increasing comfort.”
Having environmental leaders like Pearce in Nova Scotia is one of the reasons the province has emerged as a leader in energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.
“There are many passionate people working in the energy efficiency industry in Nova Scotia,” says Stephen MacDonald, CEO of EfficiencyOne. “We’re lucky to work with Natasha at EfficiencyOne and see first-hand her dedication to making our province a better place every day.”
More than 1,000 professionals like Pearce work in the energy efficiency industry. The industry has created stable, full-time jobs throughout the province and is helping Nova Scotia reach their climate change goals.
Efficiency Nova Scotia is operated by EfficiencyOne, an independent, non-profit organization based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Since 2010, we’ve helped more than 225,000 program participants save energy and money. Efficiency Nova Scotia is your go-to place for energy saving programs and services.
To learn more, click to watch Why Energy Efficiency?
For more information contact:
Susan Smith
ssmith@efficiencyns.ca,
(902) 470 3606