1890s Brick House

This home owner reduced their energy consumption by 61%, and maintained their original brick finish, by installing insulation within the exterior wall cavity and electrifying their heating equipment.

Building Type Single-Family 2+ Stories Location Walters Falls, ON
Year Built 1897 Foundation Type Concrete (Crawl Space)
Structure Type Wood-Framed Post-Retrofit Total Floor Area 246m2
Climate Zone 6 Heating Degree Days 4030
Retrofit Status Complete Year Completed 2023
Retrofit Phasing No Geometry Changed No
Annual Energy Savings 61.48% Operational Carbon Savings 11.71 tCO2eq/y
Retrofit Type Envelope and Mechanical Performance Level Oil to Heat Pump

Project Team

Project Priorities

  • Reduce Energy Consumption
  • Increase Thermal Comfort
  • Reduce GHG Emissions

Upgrades

  • Upgraded wall assemblies to R-22 Nominal
  • Air tightness improvements (10.08 ACH @ 50Pa to 7.16 ACH @50 Pa)
  • Removal of oil furnace to electrify heat systems
  • Central air source heat pump (85,500 BTU/h, Heating COP 3.07)
  • Back up electric furnace (58500 BTU/h)
  • Addition of cooling with the air source heat pump (Cooling COP 3.11)

Project Description

The Retrofit Story

This homeowner approached this retrofit with the aim of reducing energy consumption and saving energy costs, improving the thermal comfort of their home, and reducing their GHG emissions. Following energuide assessment recommendations, they decided to increase the insulation on their exterior walls and then, once the heating load was reduced, electrify their heating equipment.

To maintain the original brick of the home while increasing the insulation R value, holes were drilled into the exterior wythe (outer layer of masonry that is one unit thick), and cellulose insulation was pumped into the cavity between the two wythes of brick. The home owner found that with this added insulation their furnace oil use dropped by a third compared to what they would typically expect to use.

The homeowner then installed an air source heat pump with a backup electric furnace that would be capable of both heating and cooling the house. Removing the oil furnace improves the overall efficiency of the building, and reduces the carbon footprint, but it also lowers the health risks associated with burning fuel and producing CO within the home. These changes alone led to a 61% reduction in the energy consumption in the home.

Before & After

General

Envelope

Mechanical & Electrical

Annual Energy Usage

Carbon Emissions

Technical Documents

Photos