Okotoks residents will get a chance to see whether their homes are energy wasters, thanks to a new program.
MyHEAT, a thermal imaging program designed by researchers at the University of Calgary, allows homeowners to view images of their homes taken during a midnight fly-over of Okotoks highlighting areas on houses that are losing heat.
The first fly-over took place in October, and the images were revealed on Jan. 25.
The program generates a Heat score between 0 and 100 for each home, depending on the amount of heat loss shown in the image.
Residents can see the images on the Town’s website by logging into MyHEAT to view their home – and every other residence in Okotoks, to compare results.
“MyHEAT is really exciting,” said interim environment and sustainability co-ordinator Stefan Martensson. “We are the first in the world to be able to offer a program like this.”
He said most of the heat loss is seen in uninsulated garages and attic space, as well as through single-pane windows or inadequate insulation in older homes.
The lowest score in town was a 4, said Martensson, and came from a heritage home in the heart of Okotoks that may have been originally lined with newspaper or paper insulation and could still have older inefficient windows.
The average score in town was 49. While many homes are in the 70 to 90 range, Martensson said there is more those homeowners can do to increase efficiency.
“Even with a score of 80, we don’t want residents to think they have nothing to worry about, because there’s always something they can do to improve their score,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done in town if we want to see the overall community score come up.”
That work may include replacing windows or insulation, or could be a matter of fixing sealant and weather stripping, he said.
He said it’s important residents know the Town is not forcing them to make those changes.
“We don’t want to discourage people by thinking it’s too much to take on,” said Martensson. “We see it as an opportunity to save money on energy bills and in that way we all benefit by reducing our environmental impact.”
The Town is currently working on developing a program similar to its water conservation rebates to help residents pay for energy audits, he said.
Energy audit kits will be provided at the public library for homeowners to borrow and use to identify the key issues in problem areas of their homes, he said. The second part of the program would provide discounts for people who hire energy auditors to survey their homes.
“We haven’t made up all the details just yet, but it should work roughly the same as the water conservation rebate program, with up to $100 or 50 per cent available for rebate,” said Martensson. “We want to help out as much as possible.”
Energy audits will point to specific areas of homes to identify the source of heat loss and help owners decide how to increase efficiency, he said.
Okotoks resident Franziska Wessely called the program a great opportunity for people to improve their homes.
“We just renovated in a big way and are curious how this will affect our heat score,” said Wessely. “Seeing in which part of the house we are losing the most heat reflects exactly what we found while renovating.”
Her family invested $20,000 to repair the roof and insulation in their home after the images were taken, she said.
“I sure hope there will be no more red where our house is.”
Not all Okotoks residents are excited about MyHEAT.
Bonnie Bulmer called the program a “tremendous waste of money.”
She said her home shows heat loss exactly where they expected it to be – in an overhang at a bay window that was never insulated to begin with.
“We’ve done some insulation work and replaced the windows, but the house is 37 years old,” said Bulmer.
She is skeptical about the benefits of MyHEAT, because many of the least efficient homes on the map are newer builds.
“People might be disappointed to find out their home is inefficient, but really who’s going to start taking new homes apart and re-insulating them?” she said. “I don’t think this is going to help anyone.”
Bulmer said the Town should have consulted with residents before spending tax dollars on something she considers to be a “silly expense.”
Total set-up cost for MyHEAT is $75,000, but Okotoks was discounted $55,000 as the exclusive launch community. Council approved a budget amendment to pay the remaining $20,000 annual subscription fee on Aug. 17.
Though MyHEAT is free for homeowners to access, she said, the funds to pay for the fly-over and the work had to come from somewhere.
“I just think they’re going too far with this sustainability thing,” said Bulmer.
Okotoks resident Mike Petrucha agreed, calling the technology a scam.
He said the Town should be investing instead in helping residents make their homes more efficient, rather than paying to have thermal imaging and offering rebates.
“How about a one-time $5,000 to all residents for improvements,” said Petrucha. “Even if it is only a furnace clean, or a few LED bulbs, instead of a rebate.
“How many awards does our town need?”
