College and university students were helping EcoSuperior renovate its way to a new green home Monday.
The local environmental group is in the process of renovating a home on Red River road next to its main office. The small bungalow, built in 1943, is similar to around 7,500 others in the city that are woefully inefficient when it comes to energy.
“These are super inefficient homes,” EcoSuperior energy coordinator Raphael Shay said.
Making sure no air is getting in through windows and doorframes along with proper insulation can go a long way to making a home more efficient.
“Insulation is the easy one,” Shay said. “That’s usually the biggest bang for your buck,” Shay said.
The home will also have eco-friendly floors installed and a rainwater recovery system in place to reduce the amount of runoff heading into the city’s sewers. While EcoSuperior is renovating thanks to a $93,000 Trillium grant, Shay said green options are getting cheaper as more people get on board.
“It’s just a question of demanding that these choices exist in our consumer products,” Shay said.
EcoSuperior is also getting help from Confederation College and Lakehead University students as the home is being deconstructed. Construction techniques coordinator Shaun Daniels said that’s a major part of the industry.
“It’s a good learning experience for the students,” he said.
They’re also learning how to salvage as much as possible in an attempt to reduce what goes to the landfill.
“Any wood that can be salvaged is salvaged, metal is salvaged that’s sent to scrap all the plumbing the wiring that type of thing,” Daniels said.
And while the home is inefficient when it comes to energy, there were wood doors and trimming that showed true craftsmanship.
“You don’t see that today, not in this type of home,” Daniels said.
