One of the first steps to becoming more energy efficient at home and do your part for the environment is through testing how energy efficient your home actually is. One such way is to have a home energy audit or assessment done on your household.
What is a Home Energy Audit?
The Government of Canada’s EcoENERGY Home Retrofit grant is available to owners of single family homes including detached, semi-detached and low rise multi-unit residential buildings.
Property owners can qualify for a maximum of $5,000 in federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, and reducing their home’s impact on the environment.
Natural Resources Canada will ensure that only licensed and independent energy advisors will perform a residential energy assessment to identify how your home uses energy, where it is being wasted, how you can improve the comfort of your home and cut heating and cooling costs, while ensuring adequate ventilation for a healthy indoor environment for your family.
Why You Should Get a Home Energy Audit
Peace of mind- NRCan-licensed energy advisors provide unbiased advice on how to improve your home’s energy use.
Understanding your options- The residential energy assessment service provides a thorough assessment of your entire home’s energy use from basement to attic to help you plan retrofits that will improve the energy efficiency of your home or multi-unit residential building.
Proof of upgrades- Once you have completed energy upgrades for your household, you will be provided with a second (post-retrofit) evaluation and a new energy efficiency rating label that indicates your home’s improved energy use.
Grants toward your retrofit expenses- To be eligible for grants, your home needs to have had pre- and post-retrofit evaluations from an NRCan-licensed energy advisor. The grant amount is based on each of the recommended retrofits you have completed and the relative impact the retrofits have on the energy efficiency of your home.
Taking action to alleviate climate change- Burning fossil fuels as a source of energy is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Make your contribution to help protect our environment by using the residential energy assessment service.
How to Get A Home Energy Audit
The fist step is to hire an auditor licensed by Natural Resources Canada for a first or pre-retrofit audit which typically costs about $300. Advisors will show you how to improve the comfort of your home and cut heating and cooling costs, while ensuring adequate ventilation for a healthy indoor environment for your family.
Contact an energy advisor here: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/new-home improvement/contact-advisors.cfm?attr=4
The auditor carries out the pre-retrofit audit and provides the homeowner with a report that contains recommendations on energy efficiency improvements.
Once the pre-audit is complete the auditor notifies the federal ecoEnergy program and the federal government notifies the provincial Home Energy Audit Program. (Ontario only)
In Ontario, the provincial Home Energy Audit Program will issue a $150 rebate cheque to the homeowner for the pre-audit. A homeowner is not required to carry out a retrofit to receive the rebate.
If the homeowner chooses to pursue the recommendations in the audit, they could be eligible for the federal government’s ecoENERGY retrofit grant program.
My husband and I own rental property and I would like to know how much it would cost us per unit to have an audit done. We have a 3 unit building, 1 upper-lower duplex and 5 separate houses from bachelor to 2 bedroom. Any info you could send me would be appreciated. Thank You
Theresa Gilberfsays
It is good that the government is recognizing the need to help homeowners, but it is not geared towards homeowners who live from pay cheque to pay cheque. I will have a hard time coming up with $300.00 in advance even though I will get half of it back. I believe the incentive is much too low. I think a home energy grant to cover the costs $100% or close to that, would be benificial to all. Come on government, I know you can do better that this!
Michael Webb, a spokesperson for the firm, added that the expense of embracing energy efficiency is something the businesses should consider. Energy Efficiency
Marksays
Hi Dot – to get the cost of an energy audit for each of your units, you’d have to contact an energy auditor in your community (prices for audits vary from city to city). You can find a list of energy auditors in your community on this page.
Hope that helps,
Mark
Editor, ShowMeTheGreen.ca
Janicesays
I agree with Theresa. We had the inital audit done & were able to pay for that, but finding money for the actual upgrades has proven very challenging. I would love to do all the upgrades that were recommended, but that will be nearly impossible. Coming up with the $$ up front is extremely hard. I think alot of people would benefit if they would pay you the grants BEFORE having to shell out for the upgrades, so you could actually use that money for the equipment.
Melissasays
I am wondering what other’s experiences have been with these home energy audits. While the hype is that it’s only $300 and you get $150 back, I just noticed that you can only qualify for the rebates/grants after having a second assessment done AFTER you have completed all the work within the 18mth period…..and that’s an additional $195 approx. with no rebates on that. So you’re shelling out $395 but is it worth it? Or is it just another money grab and another way to “stimulate” the economy by suckering home owners into doing renos they might not have otherwise done or are able to afford?
after calling to obtain info in some of these programs i found they are no longer available,as typical of government they all of sudden got expiry as the time you happen to call
perhaps the government should or cmhc should just close their departments for all the help they are
Marksays
I have not found anyone yet who has actually received any money back.
My parents did this audit a wile back 5yrs. At the time of inspection they were told that if they change there windows they will receive a good amount back, however when the follow up inspection was complete they only received $20.00 after spending $10,000.00. They were told that it has not improved the house sufficiently.
Is this the same government scam.
Let me know if anyone has received any money back.
Thanks
Jeanniesays
I was told by a well known window company that if I replaced my old windows with Energy Efficient windows the Government would give me a rebate when I filed my Income Tax. Well I had over $10,000.00 worth of windows installed as my home was over 50 years old and it needed doing. I found out later that I did not qualify for the rebate because I was retired and did not pay income tax if I understood the reason correctly. I am upset with the window company because they didn’t disclose this information. All they wanted was the sale and didn’t care if the person could pay or even receive some form of discount regarless of how small to help in the payment. As far as the Government, what I have to say about them, is better left unsaid.
My husband and I own rental property and I would like to know how much it would cost us per unit to have an audit done. We have a 3 unit building, 1 upper-lower duplex and 5 separate houses from bachelor to 2 bedroom. Any info you could send me would be appreciated. Thank You
It is good that the government is recognizing the need to help homeowners, but it is not geared towards homeowners who live from pay cheque to pay cheque. I will have a hard time coming up with $300.00 in advance even though I will get half of it back. I believe the incentive is much too low. I think a home energy grant to cover the costs $100% or close to that, would be benificial to all. Come on government, I know you can do better that this!
l would like to get the energy savings done but the costs is too much 500.00 i dont have. i live in nova scotia
Michael Webb, a spokesperson for the firm, added that the expense of embracing energy efficiency is something the businesses should consider. Energy Efficiency
Hi Dot – to get the cost of an energy audit for each of your units, you’d have to contact an energy auditor in your community (prices for audits vary from city to city). You can find a list of energy auditors in your community on this page.
Hope that helps,
Mark
Editor, ShowMeTheGreen.ca
I agree with Theresa. We had the inital audit done & were able to pay for that, but finding money for the actual upgrades has proven very challenging. I would love to do all the upgrades that were recommended, but that will be nearly impossible. Coming up with the $$ up front is extremely hard. I think alot of people would benefit if they would pay you the grants BEFORE having to shell out for the upgrades, so you could actually use that money for the equipment.
I am wondering what other’s experiences have been with these home energy audits. While the hype is that it’s only $300 and you get $150 back, I just noticed that you can only qualify for the rebates/grants after having a second assessment done AFTER you have completed all the work within the 18mth period…..and that’s an additional $195 approx. with no rebates on that. So you’re shelling out $395 but is it worth it? Or is it just another money grab and another way to “stimulate” the economy by suckering home owners into doing renos they might not have otherwise done or are able to afford?
after calling to obtain info in some of these programs i found they are no longer available,as typical of government they all of sudden got expiry as the time you happen to call
perhaps the government should or cmhc should just close their departments for all the help they are
I have not found anyone yet who has actually received any money back.
My parents did this audit a wile back 5yrs. At the time of inspection they were told that if they change there windows they will receive a good amount back, however when the follow up inspection was complete they only received $20.00 after spending $10,000.00. They were told that it has not improved the house sufficiently.
Is this the same government scam.
Let me know if anyone has received any money back.
Thanks
I was told by a well known window company that if I replaced my old windows with Energy Efficient windows the Government would give me a rebate when I filed my Income Tax. Well I had over $10,000.00 worth of windows installed as my home was over 50 years old and it needed doing. I found out later that I did not qualify for the rebate because I was retired and did not pay income tax if I understood the reason correctly. I am upset with the window company because they didn’t disclose this information. All they wanted was the sale and didn’t care if the person could pay or even receive some form of discount regarless of how small to help in the payment. As far as the Government, what I have to say about them, is better left unsaid.