NEW REBATES FOR 'GREEN' HOMES

New Nova Scotia rebate incentives are easy on the wallet and the environment.

Rebates under the PerformancePlus program range from $3,000 to $7,000 for homes with an energuide rating above an 83.

Brian Hayes, an energy engineer with Conserve Nova Scotia, says this is an opportunity for the PerformancePlus program to encourage Nova Scotians to construct greener homes.

Hayes says its important to consider your options before you build.

"To convince consumers to take a real good look a their options while they have the opportunity to do it at the lowest possible cost, which is when they're building. Once homes the are built there are many options that disappear altogether, " says Hayes.

Hayes says homeowners can improve their energy rating by using solar power, improving insulation or by increasing their heating power by using drain water heat recovery systems.

The province says the program is capped at 1,200 homes on a first-come, first-served basis.