The Story Behind Jouleia's Electric Start!

5 min read. DECEMBER 04, 2023

Heat Pumps

Air Sealing

Insulation

In the beginning

Jouleia’s origins go back to late 2021, when I decided to electrify my old home. My original motivation was the climate crisis. Even though it’s a global issue, I’ve always believed that individuals can make a difference with their actions. I researched the most effective ways to reduce my carbon footprint and I discovered that 18%(!) of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are from residential homes. I realized that one of the most significant impacts I could make as an individual was “home electrification”, replacing my natural gas consumption with electricity from Ontario’s relatively clean grid.

How hard could it be?

I wasn’t prepared for the rabbit hole that I was heading down. I knew very little about the electrification process but I figured I should take advantage of the rebates from the Canada Greener Homes Initiative. That meant getting an energy assessment from an NRCan-registered energy advisor. Every energy assessment in Canada ends with standardized reports being delivered to homeowners, known as Energuide reports.

EnerGuide reports are full of useful recommendations that tell you how many GigaJoules (GJ) of energy you’ll save by completing various upgrades. Reading through the reports, I realized how little I knew. I also learned that energy advisors are very busy professionals with no incentive to help homeowners after an EnerGuide report is issued.

Upgrades with benefits

Additional research highlighted new potential benefits that I hadn’t anticipated:

Comfort: Every floor in my house was a different temperature. The master bedroom had the biggest comfort problems: it was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. Turns out electrification and energy upgrades are an opportunity to fix this!
Reducing basement dampness and mold concerns: One of my daughters was moving her bedroom into the basement, making this a high priority.
Health & Safety: Burning fossil fuels in your home can release toxic fumes, including carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5). It also carries a risk of gas leaks and explosions.
Great, modern appliances: Induction stoves are awesome! Many professional chefs prefer them to gas cooking because they offer similar control and power but they’re easier to clean. For the home chef, they also minimize the risk of burns because the cooktop doesn’t stay hot for long, and they reduce the risk of asthma among children.
Resiliency: Done properly, your home will be better protected against extreme weather events, including heat waves and cold snaps. Improving the insulation and air tightness of your home means that you’ll lose (or gain, in the summer) heat much slower than before. Adding solar or battery options can power your home during extended outages.
Better resale value: Having a clean, modernized home with low energy bills and a low carbon footprint is increasingly desirable.
Very low energy bills: Improving the energy efficiency of your home reduces your monthly bills. Adding solar panels might even bring your operating costs to zero.

Most of the benefits can only be realized by understanding building science*, choosing the right equipment and materials, and installing them properly. Since every home is unique and budgets vary, there isn’t one solution that’s a perfect fit for everyone. The most common answer in building science is “It depends”.

At this point, I had more questions than I started with, and I was on my own.

*Building science is the study of how heat, air, and water flow through buildings. It uses the “house-as-a-system” concept to reflect how a small change in one area can have a large impact on another. It pulls primarily from physics, chemistry, and materials science.

So many questions!

I couldn’t start my project until I properly understood what I was doing. I didn’t want a small choice in one area to limit my options in another. Or worse yet, create a problem that required me to circle back and undo the original work.

Every choice needed to fit into the larger plan for my house. For that to be true, I needed to create a “big picture” plan for my house.

Here is a sample of what I was trying to solve:

Insulation: The EnerGuide Reports told me that I should prioritize insulation but where do I start? How much insulation should I add? Can I Insulate the basement without causing moisture issues or foundation damage? Is there insulation under my existing slab? If not, is it worth removing the slab and adding insulation? Will insulating the attic cause condensation problems? Can I install the attic insulation myself? Will insulating the attic fix ice dams and icicles? Is it better to insulate from the interior or exterior? I like the look of my exterior brick, do I have to cover that up?
Insulation materials: What insulation materials should I use? Should it differ for the attic, basement, and walls? Which insulation materials cause indoor air quality problems through off-gassing? Do I need to remove existing insulation before adding new? Are they effective? Do different materials have different amounts of embedded carbon?
Moisture: How should I address basement moisture issues? Stormwater management wasn’t listed in the EnerGuide Reports - it’s a cheap option but is it likely to make a difference? Do I need to dig an interior trench around the perimeter to install a french drain? Does that change my basement insulation options? Should I excavate the exterior and fix the insulation and water issues from that side? With close neighbours, is that even an option?
Risks: If I spray foam my brick basement walls to insulate them, do I risk damaging the brick? Can I use spray foam in other areas? What happens if spray foam is installed poorly??
Air sealing: Air leakage sounds like a big deal. Is it even possible to air seal an old house? Will that cause other problems? Where do I even start? Are there contractors that offer air sealing?
Heat pumps: Being of a certain vintage, my house has radiators instead of a central ducted heating system. Do air-to-water heat pumps exist? I know they exist in Europe but I asked two contractors and they both said it wasn’t an option. If I get a ductless heat pump system, how many heads do I need? Won’t that cause more comfort problems?
Heat pump performance and models: Will I need backup heating for the coldest days of the year? Is there a minimum temperature that heat pumps work? Does it depend on the brand? Do heat pumps care about wind chill? What size of equipment is appropriate for my house? Which models are eligible for rebates? Are there significant performance differences between models?
Heat pump water heaters: Do I have enough room in my basement to install a heat pump water heater? Will it cause comfort problems in the basement? Will it help or hurt basement humidity levels?
Air conditioning: The second floor is increasingly hot during our summer nights - time to finally add air conditioning but what’s the best solution?
Electrical panel: Do I need to upgrade my electrical panel from 100 amps to 200 amps? What if I want an EV charger in a few years, would I need to upgrade then? If all of my neighbours upgrade their panels first, will there no longer be capacity for me to upgrade? Will all of my planned upgrades cause any other electrical challenges?
Solar: Can I afford rooftop solar? I like the idea but it’s a big upfront cost. Does my roof even get enough sun? Is there any point given our long and dark Canadian winters?
Affordability: All of these upgrades are going to cost a lot of money. The rebate and loan programs help but is there a decent payback period? Is it worth it to make these upgrades financially?
Installers: How can I find good contractors that will give me unbiased advice? How do I get a contractor to give me advice with my best interests in mind? How do I avoid upselling?

After countless hours trying to answer these questions by myself, I realized that there needs to be a better way!

Jouleia is born

Professionally, I had just stepped away from Financeit, a company I co-founded 12 years earlier. I was looking to start a new venture in the climate space while leveraging my tech skills and realized the opportunity to create a company that helped myself and others was staring me in the face.

Jouleia was created to make it simple for Canadians to get unbiased answers from industry experts without a sales pitch. It shows the way to simplify and scale electrification while making it straightforward for homeowners to live in more comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient homes.

What we offer

As part of our initial beta launch, Jouleia is offering:

#1: Our Free Home Assessment and Heat Pump Calculator

Our free online Home Assessment and Heat Pump Calculator tools are designed to provide homeowners with comprehensive information about available upgrades. These tools offer detailed recommendations, including building science insights explaining the importance of these upgrades. They also address common FAQs, provide information on local grants and loans, and deliver cost and carbon estimates. These estimates are tailored to your specific situation, taking into account local climate data, provincial energy grid emissions, and your house's profile. These online tools include the essential information that I had hoped to access at the beginning of my journey.

#2: Our Home Expert Service.