For 30 years, André Fauteux has been explaining how to go about living in healthy homes, which in no way compromise the health of the occupants. Making sure to properly ventilate his home and paying attention to the materials selected are among the tips he repeats tirelessly. As the renovation fever continues to spread, he is preparing to give six webinars at a price he wants very low, to educate as many owners as possible.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
The series, which is an introduction to healthy and ecological homes, is organized by the Quebec magazine The 21st Century House (of which André Fauteux is publisher and editor-in-chief), in collaboration with the company Énergie3R, which brings together many energy efficiency advisors responsible for carrying out the energy assessment of homes registered in the Rénoclimat program.
“The evaluators are overwhelmed at the moment, indicates Mr. Fauteux. A lot of work will be done, with the federal financial assistance program that will be linked to the Rénoclimat program. So it’s time to avoid the mistakes that have been made since the 1970s, since homes were made more airtight. The air quality in the house should not be made worse by making it more airtight. Pollutants must be removed at source, problems such as mold must be corrected, and ventilation improved.
“When people want to reduce their heating costs with programs like Rénoclimat, they improve the airtightness and insulation of their homes, but mechanical ventilation really shouldn’t be neglected,” he explains. There are subsidies for heat recovery ventilators, which are of higher quality than low-end air exchangers. »
Mechanical ventilation is one of the first things to take care of when renovating, but it’s unfortunately the last thing people do. In general, air exchangers are poorly installed, poorly maintained and poorly used.
André Fauteux, publisher and editor-in-chief of The 21st Century House
Who is he talking to ? “My primary audience is children and all the more sensitive people,” he says. This is why I want to join the parents, so that they become aware of the gestures they make, when they carry out work. Pregnant women should never apply ordinary paint. We must demand that it be zero VOC, therefore without emission of volatile organic compounds. It is the precautionary principle that must take precedence. »
The 90-minute webinars will cost $10 each. They will be presented every two weeks, starting April 12.