Our advice for an ecological renovation
More and more homeowners in Montreal are opting for eco-friendly renovations. It’s a great idea! This way, you can have a healthier home and protect the environment by using sustainable materials. As a certified EcoEntrepreneur, we’re proud to support you in this process. We’ve prepared some tips to help you maximize your eco-friendly renovation project.
An ecological renovation for a healthier interior
We agree, the health of residents is paramount! The first piece of advice we can give is to make sure your contractor knows how to handle the removal of radon and other toxic fumes. This naturally occurring radioactive gas can seep into homes, but it can be easily removed using a passive depressurization column.
Choosing the Right Materials for Your Eco-Friendly Renovation
For an eco-friendly renovation, make sure the materials used are recycled. Pay attention to paint too: choose paint that doesn’t contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to avoid toxic fumes inside the home. If you’re dealing with asbestos, it’s crucial that your general contractor be able to handle it safely. They’re trained to decontaminate these areas and ensure a healthy indoor air environment.
Ecological renovation: for smarter consumption
One of the major benefits of eco-renovation is the reduction in energy and water consumption. For example, when renovating a bathroom, you can replace standard plumbing fixtures with models that use minimal water. The goal is to achieve a consumption of less than 4.9 liters per flush for the toilet, 5.6 liters per minute for the faucet, and 7.5 liters per minute for the shower.
Optimize Energy and Insulation
To optimize energy, you can offer energy-efficient lighting solutions, such as LED bulbs. Work is also being done to eliminate air infiltration to reduce heating costs. A good contractor should be able to offer a blower door test to detect air leaks and ensure your home is properly sealed.
The Energuide Index
For large-scale projects, a contractor specializing in eco-renovation should be able to demonstrate that they have improved your Energuide rating by at least 5 points. It is an excellent indicator of energy performance.
Encourage recycling
As EcoEntrepreneurs, we know how important recycling is during an eco-friendly renovation. It’s an essential part of our work.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
There are several ways to encourage recycling, but the most important are using recycled materials and better waste management. At ESPÉ, we always make sure to use as many scraps as possible. We sort materials and send them to the nearest Ecocentre. This way, the majority of scraps and building materials can be recycled and reused for other projects.
Tell us about your project
Every project is a story. A meeting between your vision and our expertise. In Montreal and the surrounding area, we bring to life renovations that combine aesthetics, functionality, and durability.