REBlockCanada

03/20/2013

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02/18/2013

Official Announcement

We would like to announce the arrival of Blue House Energy; a new and innovative online learning environment with certification for trades, contractors and fellow energy efficiency professionals.

The Blue House Energy solution is to supply certification training in a way that is low cost, easy to access, and does not take crews off job sites.

Visit the web site to find out more!

The new building and energy codes are pushing energy advisers, renovators, contractors and trades to learn more about building science and good practice, simply to stay in the game and answer questions from customers. In fact, some jurisdictions are now requiring some level of training and certifica...

02/04/2013

Efficiency tidbits #1

All the different bits, pieces and equipment in your house make up a single system. Like your body, the performance of a house is affected by outside influences such as climate and weather, inside influences such as fuel use and overall health. When there is a change to one part of the system, it affects how the rest of the system works. If a change damages your body, you don’t perform as well. If energy efficiency measures are not carried out properly, the renovation can have a negative effect on the structure, the indoor air quality and the comfort levels of your house. A single change, or many small changes over time, can have an immediate or long-term effect on the way the house performs.

The ‘house as a system’ approach is based on straightforward physics: heat rises, but it also ‘wants’ to be in equilibrium. Therefore, heat also flows from warm to cold – from inside to outside in Canadian winters. Heat, air and moisture are all tangled up together in this basic premise. For example, reducing air leakage improves comfort levels and reduces energy consumption at the same time, as it protects the envelope from moisture damage. All good, right? But where does that humidity go that used to escape out those cracks and crevices? It stays in the house and condenses out onto cold surfaces, like windows.

Want to know continue reading more about the "House as a System" ? Then go over to the Blue House Energy page!

Blue House Energy: Online training in energy efficiency, building science, and construction technology for new and retrofit housing, since 2012.

02/04/2013

We will be making an important announcement regarding Blue House Energy Inc and REBlock Canada very soon, so watch this space!

Blue House Energy: Online training in energy efficiency, building science, and construction technology for new and retrofit housing, since 2012.

07/10/2012

Well done HRM citizens, the pressure you put on your councillors helped them make the decision to defer the Solar City vote until September-ish, when the FCM funding decision will be made (and that looks 'favourable').

07/10/2012

Watch for Shawna on Global TV News tonight -- talking about solar thermal systems and Solar City!

07/09/2012

Ok, so Friday's post was a little premature. Solar City is not dead yet. The staff report that was released on Friday indicates that HRM should pull the plug on it, but there are lots of questions that need to be answered.

- The economic analysis employed by HRM (simple payback) didn't take into account energy cost escalation, increased value of the home, the fact that renewable energy doesn't have the negative health impact that fossil fuel does.

- Passing the program over to Efficiency NS would not only further delay the program but that group doesn't have the ability to add the upfront cost of the installation to property taxes.

- There is no indication that existing subscribers are not interested in continuing with the program, in fact there has been overwhelming
support for the program thus far.

And - if you're interested in Solar City - you've probably read several articles in the mainstream news so far. Here's a good analysis of the issue from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/2012/07/09/stuffing-solar-city-where-the-sun-dont-shine/

One of the key points is that Solar City as it is structured -- on the tax roll -- would be groundbreaking for Canada. It's a relatively painless way for civil society to say "Yes" to some energy security.

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07/06/2012

It's a drag that this particular model of a tax-roll program didn't work. However, I don't think it's the death-knell for a Solar City-like project. We saw how ready HRM householders are to take it on. It will work with the right combination of higher energy costs, lower equipment costs, better system efficiencies. The reliance on a lower net system price predicated by the two rebates that were available when the project was first announced was the downfall of this incarnation. With the ephemeral federal support for anything to do with energy efficiency and households, it's not so much of a surprise that the federal rebate evaporated.

The sun is to set on Halifax's Solar City project.

06/25/2012

Some significant news from BC - Community Contribution Corporations - we need these in Nova Scotia to foment social enterprise

http://cbernblog.ca/2012/05/bc-approves-c3/

Last month, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, paid a visit to Canada as a part of celebrations honouring the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, during which they highlighted the importance of service rendered to communities by Canadians across the country. As if on cue for the red ...