A $25 investment in 1963 for extra-fat insulation batts was the
smartest decision Harold Orr has ever made. Almost five decades
ago, the man behind Canada's respected R-2000 program hired a
Saskatoon contractor to build a modest 1,100-square-foot
bungalow for him, his wife, Mary, and a young family that would
eventually grow to include four sons, four daughters and a
number of foster children. It was a full house, but also a warm
one that operated on a slim budget. "I don't remember exactly
what I saved that first year, but it was at least $25. Now I
estimate I save $400 to $500 a year on heating with natural
gas," says the 80-year-old internationally recognized
environmental engineer. Orr is the principal brain behind the
Saskatchewan Conservation House, an 1,800-square-foot two-storey
built in Regina in 1977 by a team of leading energy
professionals. It was the first R-2000 home built in North
America and it was crafted from suggestions Orr made to the
organizing committee the year before — 13 years after h