1448 - Fasten your seat belts, we may be in for a bumpy winter! Canadians brace for increasing fuel costs as crude oil prices continue on a climb that may make US $50 a barrel sound reasonable. Canadians who own R-2000 homes may have the edge if fuel costs soar. Unfortunately, these homeowners are in the minority. According to The State of Energy Efficiency in Canada, Report 2003, authored by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency: "It is usually more economical to make energy efficiency improvements during home construction than after a home is built. However, by 2010, energy-efficient houses built after 1995 will represent only about 20 percent of Canadian housing." In Canadian homes, about 80 percent of residential energy is used to heat space and water. The goal of the R-2000 Standard is to improve the energy efficiency of all types of new homes without compromising either the interior or exterior environments. This voluntary Standard is performance-based, setting criteria for how a home must perform, rather than specifying exactly how it must look or be built. This flexibility leaves the designer and builder free to choose the most effective and economical way to build each R-2000 home. Read this Nemmar Real Estate Training article at Systems - HVAC, Heating, Air-Conditioning