When investing in energy efficiency, the owners of residential dwellings simultaneously succeed in lowering their operating costs all the while increasing the value of their property and its attraction vis-à-vis the tenants.
Many owners give up on the use of restorations to improve the energy efficiency of their building by calling upon the capital costs which they consider too important. However, several new technologies make it possible to generate appreciable economies all the while causing a very fast period of return on investment. And this, without counting that several organizations offer generous subsidies to encourage real-estate owners to modernize their installations.
Another step forward towards profitability and eco-responsability
During the last few years, a green shift has started, thus transforming consumer behaviour of citizens and investors. According to a recent study of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RCIS), the buildings having obtained a recognized green certification and being equipped with efficient energy installations prove to be more competitive, in particular while making it possible to their owner to increase his rent and to attract a greater number of customers. The study estimates that the green establishments also enjoy a rise of 16% of their value.
Technologies and subsidies are present at the rendez-vous
Over the last five years, engineers, architects and other interveners of the construction sector have developed technological and innovating solutions to decrease energy consumption of buildings as well as their ecological footprint. A multitude of simple and inexpensive technologies are now available, although few companies connected to construction are presently able to advise as far as their establishment is concerned.
Moreover, several organizations like Hydro-Québec, Gaz Métro, the Energy Efficiency Agency (EEA), the Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) and the OEE (the Office of Energy Efficiency) have created programmes making it possible to come to the assistance of owners who wish to take measures to increase the energy efficiency of their installations, all the while contributing to the improvement of the environment and of the financial health of the owners. To be admissible to most of these subsidies, the owners must obligatorily recruit a specialized firm, entitled to advise suitable measures of energy efficiency and to show the potential economies, in order to adequately guide them in their various decisions of restoration and modernization of their installations.