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An energy-efficient home is comfortable, healthy, environmentally friendly and cost-effective

A home energy assessment, or energy audit by an independent energy advisor can help you understand how your home uses energy today – and identify retrofits to help improve energy efficiency.

Your independent registered energy advisor will assess your home from basement to attic and you will receive an EnerGuide rating for your home and an energy efficiency report to help you make decisions about possible upgrades.

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Your independent registered energy advisor will review the scope of the evaluation, along with the general data collection process. All data and photos collected during the evaluation are strictly protected within the guidelines of all applicable privacy legislation. Photos will be taken of the outside portion of your home, its mechanical systems, the attic space and any wood-burning appliances, if present. These photos are for record keeping and quality assurance purposes only. One photo will be taken of the front of your house to appear in your customized report.

Your energy assessment is carried out by an independent energy advisor who is registered with Natural Resources Canada

Your independent registered energy advisor will have various documents for you to review. Read, understand and, if you are comfortable with the terms, sign the forms, which are required to authorize the home energy assessment to take place.

During the evaluation, you and your independent registered energy advisor can discuss any plans and priorities you may have relating to energy efficiency upgrades to your home.

The evaluation often begins at the exterior of your home and then moves on to the interior. The independent registered energy advisor will measure and collect data about elements of your home that impact its energy performance and then enter that data into an energy simulation software program that calculates your home’s EnerGuide rating. The data collected includes:

Airtightness, using a blower door test;
Insulation levels;
the number, type and location of windows and exterior doors;
Space heating, space cooling (air conditioning) and water heating equipment;
Ventilation equipment; and
At the completion, feel free to ask any questions you have of your energy advisor.
The following are required items you can prepare in advance of the evaluation:

Your municipal property tax roll number to confirm ownership of the home;
If appropriate, all paid invoices and receipts for goods and services related to your energy efficiency upgrades. These would be necessary if you are participating in a rebate or incentive program that includes a post-retrofit evaluation and requires evidence of the upgrades you’ve undertaken.

Prepare your Home for the Home Energy Assessment

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Access

You must provide a clear path to all attic spaces, crawl spaces, mechanical equipment and other hard-to-reach areas.

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Wood-burning appliances

Remove all ashes from any wood-burning appliances so they’re not drawn into the house during the blower door test.

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Heating

At the time of the evaluation, your home must have, at minimum, a space heating system in place that can keep the interior living space at 22 degrees Celsius.

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Envelope

The building envelope – which includes ceilings directly below the roof and attic spaces, exterior walls, exposed floors, windows and doors – must be intact, including interior and exterior surfaces. If the exterior finish is not intact, the home cannot be evaluated. Any renovations underway within the house can affect only interior partitions and may not break the building envelope.

Windows and doors

All windows and doors must be in place. (A maximum of one window or door may be missing as long as it is temporarily covered and air-sealed.) Broken window panes must be air-sealed with materials such as taped polyethylene for during the blower door test. Close all windows and doors properly to ensure the test is accurate.

The Day of your Energy Assessement

Do not use any wood-fired or other solid-fuel fired appliances.

Your independent registered energy advisor will give you a Notice to Homeowner consent form. Take time to read it thoroughly. If you’re comfortable with the terms, sign the form to authorize the evaluation.

The independent registered energy advisor will explain the data-collection process. They will take photos of your home’s exterior, its mechanical systems, attic space and any wood-burning appliances. All data and photos are strictly protected within the guidelines of privacy legislation.

Feel free to ask questions.

The independent registered energy advisor often begins with the exterior of your home and then evaluates the interior. The data collected includes

Your home’s airtightness, using a blower door test
Insulation levels
Windows and exterior doors
Space heating, space cooling and water heating equipment
Ventilation equipment

After your EnerGuide home evaluation

The results of your home evaluation will help you understand and improve the energy performance of your home. Within a couple of weeks of the onsite energy assessment, you will receive the following in order to continue with your home retrofit journey:

An EnerGuide rating and label
A Homeowner Information Sheet
A Renovation Upgrade Report

Your renovation upgrade report

Your report is a personalized roadmap that includes

a list of recommended upgrades and energy-saving results
a breakdown of your energy usage
before and after charts showing heat loss by building component
your EnerGuide home rating before and after recommended upgrades
customized comments from your independent registered energy advisor
tips for saving energy

The upgrade recommendations can help you make decisions about which upgrades would save the most energy.

You may also be eligible for federal incentives or regional programs to help you with implementing the recommended upgrades.

Energy performance improvements can lead to an increase in the overall comfort in your home, help reduce your utility bills, and help us make the planet better.

Book an Energy Assessment today!