What is going to happen during your EnerGuide home evaluation?

Your EnerGuide home evaluation, conducted by our Natural Resources Canada-registered advisors, Cameron or Parul, will occur as scheduled. The EnerGuide evaluation takes ~2.5 hours. 

Please refrain from using wood-burning or solid-fuel appliances 24 hours before the evaluation and remove any ashes to ensure ashes are not drawn into the house during the blower door test.

Photos of your home’s exterior, mechanical systems, attic, and any wood-burning appliances will be taken for quality assurance and record-keeping, adhering to privacy laws. A photo of your home’s front will also be included in your report.

Discuss any energy efficiency plans with your advisor during the visit and ask about the tools used, including the blower door testing equipment, which checks your home’s airtightness.

The evaluation starts outside and moves indoors, collecting data to calculate your home’s EnerGuide rating. For safety, please turn down or off any fuel-fired systems during the evaluation; they will be reset afterwards.

Afterward, feel free to ask your advisor any questions about the evaluation or related programs. Ensure you have your property tax roll number and any relevant invoices for energy upgrades ready, especially if they are required for rebate programs.

Prepare your home for the home evaluation

For your energy advisor to do an EnerGuide home evaluation, your home must meet the following conditions:

Access – You must provide a clear path to all attic spaces, crawl spaces, mechanical equipment and other hard-to-reach areas. If you’re not sure what the energy advisor will need to access, contact us.

Heating – At the time of the evaluation, your home must have, at minimum, a space heating system in place.

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.

Envelope – If any temporarily sealed areas fail during the blower door test, your home cannot be evaluated. The entire building envelope, including roofs, walls, floors, windows, and doors, must be intact. Exterior surfaces must also be undamaged. Ongoing renovations should only affect interior partitions without breaching the building envelope.

Foundation – Your home must rest on its permanent foundation or be a permanently moored float home.

Power – The blower door test equipment needs a supply of standard AC electrical power. If power is not available from a utility, you must arrange for a suitable power supply and tell the service organization about this situation.

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

The day of your evaluation

Your advisor will outline the evaluation’s scope, duration, and data collection methods, including taking photos of your home’s exterior, mechanical systems, attic, and any wood appliances.

The evaluation will start from the outside and then proceed inside, assessing:

• Insulation in walls, ceilings, and basement.
• Details about windows, doors, and HVAC systems.
• Any ventilation equipment.
• Other relevant energy performance factors.
• Your home’s airtightness with a blower door test.

The blower door test could affect safe operation of your gas appliances. Do not use any wood-fired or other solid-fuel fired appliances during the blower door test. You can return all equipment to normal settings at the end of the test.

After completing the evaluation, your advisor will review the data and discuss any relevant program information. Feel free to ask questions throughout the process, we’re here to help!