More than Lower Energy Bills: A Guide to Planning and Prioritizing Home Retrofits

Workshop Session

Home retrofits are often framed around energy savings, but a well-planned retrofit can also make a home quieter, healthier, and more comfortable year-round. This session offers a practical framework for understanding where to start, what to prioritize, and how to sequence upgrades over time. Participants will learn how to interpret an EnerGuide evaluation, weigh health, comfort, environmental, and financial outcomes, and break larger retrofit projects into manageable phases. The session will also explore how thoughtful sequencing can reduce costs, avoid missed opportunities, and improve long-term performance. Attendees will leave better equipped to assess their own home, ask informed questions of contractors and energy advisors, and make retrofit decisions that hold up over time.

Joe Hopkins

Joe holds a degree in Conservation Biology (2016) and earned his Master’s in Architecture in 2024. Before joining HSS Design Build, he worked in the environmental sector, and in the oil and gas sector. At HSS Design Build, Joe is interested in integrating low-carbon, environmentally friendly materials into the building industry. At HSS Design Build, he primarily works with the wood fibre PEER system, measuring its performance and durability to enhance design outcomes.