R-2000 Builder helps new home owners save energy and money

Keith Sawlor, President of Sawlor Construction Limited and R-2000 homebuilder, remembers a time when a man came into his office looking to build a new house.

Sawlor was shocked to learn the man paid $3,000 a month to heat his existing home.

Needless to say, when Sawlor told the man he'd only be paying around $2,000 in annual heating costs with an R-2000 home, he gained another client.

R-2000 homes are the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly houses on the market.

Sawlor has been working for Sawlor Construction since 1982 and assumed ownership of the company when his father retired in 1996.

According to Sawlor, the energy savings come from building to R-2000 standards.

This includes using high levels of insulation in the attic, walls and rim joists and installing energy-efficient appliances, windows, doors and an up-to-date ventilation system.

R-2000 homebuilders also use environmentally-friendly products such as low VOC or non-toxic paint, low-emission cabinetry, and toilets, faucets and shower heads that conserve water.

More than ever, Sawlor is noticing that homeowners are interested in building R-2000 homes - a fact, he says, that makes sense when you take the long-term savings into account.

"The energy savings, the lower insurance and lower mortgage rates that you can get today, more than take care of that. It's an instant payback. You immediately start saving," he says.

Sawlor has lived in an R-2000 home since 2000 and with oil prices continuing to climb, he wouldn't consider moving into any other type of house.

"I just can't imagine paying that kind of money. It's like throwing money away," he says.

Sawlor is regularly contacted by satisfied customers.

A lady called from her new home to say she was standing in the middle of her basement with bare feet and couldn't believe how warm the floor was.

Thank you letters adorn the office walls of Sawlor Construction Ltd. and speak of quality craftsmanship, professionalism, and home comfort.

Provincial and federal governments continue to improve Canadian building codes, making new buildings more energy-efficient.

With the innovative features of R-2000 homes, Sawlor says his company builds beyond the standard building code every day.