Get A Bird’s-Eye View Of Energy Loss Through Innovative New Service
At Saint John Energy, there is always a buzz of excitement when we are able to bring something new to our customers.
This month, we are pleased to be introducing a brand new program that marks a first for Atlantic Canada – an innovative new service called Home Heat Saver to help our customers pinpoint heat loss from their homes through state-of-the-art thermal imaging.
Home Heat Saver – a free and confidential service available to most residential customers in Saint John – enables homeowners to target areas of their home that could benefit from energy efficiency upgrades that will help them stay warmer, save money on their power bills, and help fight climate change.
Saint John homeowner Gary Grattan eagerly signed on to participate in a recent Home Heat Saver pilot program because he wanted to find out more about the energy profile of his almost 100-year-old, two-storey home.
Save on energy, heating costs
“Heating is a big expense for me every year and I’m always looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of my home,” he told us. “Home Heat Saver is a great opportunity. I was surprised to see the cold zones on my roof. I plan to add insulation to fix the problem.”
Gary says he is pleased with the services available to him from Saint John Energy. He is one of the earliest customers in our highly popular heat pump rental program and now has three installed in his home.
“As a utility, Saint John Energy has really stepped up to provide me with options that have allowed me to save money on my heating costs and save energy.”
The pilot program he took part in was a highly successful test for us, allowing us to refine the program ahead of making it available to our customers. This month, we were able to do just that.
Customers are now able to log into their Saint John Energy accounts and view a private and personalized thermal image of their rooftops, allowing them to see where they are experiencing the most heat loss.
Home Heat Saver powerful, free tool
Giving customers the ability to see where heat is escaping gives them a powerful tool in taking steps to make their homes more energy efficient and to save money on their electricity bills.
Depending on how much heat is escaping, homes will be given a Heat Loss Score of 1 to 10, with those rated 6 to 10 presenting the most opportunities to improve their efficiency.
We’ll help those with a high Heat Loss Score connect with rebate programs, efficiency services and innovative products to improve their home’s efficiency. Mr. Grattan says his home scored a 6, which he plans to improve with more insulation.
‘Making energy visible’
About 50 per cent of home energy bills are related to heating costs, so knocking that down by even a small percentage would make a notable difference over time.
Saint John Energy has partnered with Natural Resources Canada, the University of New Brunswick and Calgary-based MyHEAT to create Home Heat Saver. The federal government is contributing about $326,000 to the project.
MyHEAT describes its technology as “making energy visible.” Data was collected in April 2019 by a plane flying over the city at night. The nighttime data collection minimizes solar effects on building temperatures.
The Heat Loss Map that is produced by MyHEAT is an aerial thermal image of a building that indicates potential heat loss areas. Red areas on the images are losing the most heat and blue areas are losing the least. The company has consistently found that older homes tend to have the most heat loss, pointing to problem zones around chimneys, plumbing stacks and attic hatches.
Perfect for Saint John
Saint John, Canada’s oldest incorporated city, is a perfect location to deploy the MyHEAT technology. While we love the many older buildings and homes that give Saint John its historic atmosphere, those aging structures can be very difficult to heat. Now, through thermal imaging, customers can see where the heat is escaping and get the information they need to take the first steps towards improving their home’s energy efficiency.
We want to help members of our community conserve energy, save money on their power bill and contribute to a greener Saint John. Customers who want to make upgrades as a result of high heat loss can be connected through Home Heat Saver with rebate programs, efficiency services and products that will help them conserve energy and save money, including Saint John Energy’s own award-winning heat pump rental program.
Investing in innovation and clean energy initiatives is a big part of Saint John Energy’s plan to increase its economic impact over the next 10 years, while still keeping rates for customers low.
Nearly a century of innovating for customers
The Home Heat Saver program is just the latest example of Saint John Energy’s mission to forge the Utility of the Future – expanding on an energy system for our city that’s modern and sustainable.
Just recently, we announced a pilot project that will see thermal storage heat pumps pioneered by innovative New Brunswick startup Stash Energy running in the homes of up to 50 Saint John Energy customers over the next two years.
Saint John Energy is proud to be building on nearly a century of bringing new products and value to our customers. Home Heat Saver shows just how far we’ve come into this brave new world of advanced technology.
For more information on this latest program, visit the Home Heat Saver web page or email [email protected]. To find out more about some of our other innovative programs and services, visit our Smart Energy Projects page.
Ingrid Harris is Manager of Consumer Products for Saint John Energy.