Surprise!! the Government closed the energy audit program early again.  We all owe a big thanks to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver as the popular energy audit program closed due to him on Sunday January 29th 2012.

In total the Harper Government invested less than half of the 400 million they promised in the election and the recent budget.  I guess this should have been expected with the pro oil and gas leaders we currently have.  I mean, why would you invest in efficiency when you get paid way more for inefficiency?

The energy audit program was initially closed due to its popularity and the funding was running low.  The program was re-opened and was injected with 400 million in funding but again the Government cited that 250,000 home owners had signed up suggesting that this was enough to close the program early.

Details of the Energy Audit Program Closure

• The program is completely closed to new entrants
• If you have had your first audit then you are still able to complete your upgrades, have a final audit, and collect your grant money.
•  Homeowners can receive post-retrofit evaluations and apply for grants until June 30, 2012; the retrofit renovations must be completed by March 31.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled, hopefully the energy audit program closed will again be funded and open up again.  If you’re upset you can visit this site and actually send a letter over to the Government to voice your opinion on the subject.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Here is an energy audit checklist so once you have booked your audit you can review.

If this is your homes first ecoenergy evaluation you should follow this energy audit checklist, you should expect about 2-3 hours for the auditor to correctly go through and preform the audit.  There is a lot of measurements and information that needs to be recorded by the auditor and this takes time.

Energy Audit Checklist

1. Assume about half a day for an energy audit
2. If you have a fireplace, it needs to be clean (no ashes) vacuum it before the appointment
3. Try to have pets out of the house
4. Be inquisitive and ask the auditor questions
5. Have your tax roll number available

Whats up with #3 on this check list?  Well the energy auditor will be reforming a blower door test on your house, this will raise the pressure in your home just slightly to test air leakage.  This doesn’t pose any problems or dangers to your pets but setting up  the blower door does offer a chance for a great escape.

If you have already had your first audit, you should know that there is a different, shorter, audit checklist for these appointments.

Second Audit Checklist

1. Time preparation – I would leave room for about an hour and a half but it could be much shorter
2. Payment method available
3. Questions

There isn’t much to the second energy audit and the representative should be completed in as little as 30 minutes.  There will not be a blower door test so your pets wont have a chance to escape.  Once the information has been recorded the auditor will submit the final file to the Government and once they verify it your rebate cheque will be in the mail.

Haven’t booked an audit yet? Find out more here

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Energy Audit Cost

The deadline for the energy audit program is fast approaching, and your thinking of getting one.  How much will an energy audit cost?

Firstly an energy audit can cost different amounts for different provinces.  In general thought, the first audit will cost between $325 and $375 depending on the service organization, so it pays to shop around (although we are very price competitive–see our cost). If your in Ontario and looking for an audit you can expect $150 of that initial price to be sent back to you in the form of a rebate from the Government.

If your looking to change out a furnace, a water heater, an air conditioner, or add insulation then you will get a rebate back.  If you are thinking of doing multiple upgrades then you will get an even bigger rebate cheque.  The more you upgrade on your home the larger the rebate will be.  In most cases the total energy audit cost will be more than offset by the rebated garnered from the upgrades.

I would think that this late into the program (not that its too late to start) most people will be looking for a final audit.  What will a final energy audit cost? This final audit is much faster than the first and it there to simply confirm that the changes you have made have produced the desired outcome.  You should expect to pay around $175 and $200 as the cost for this final audit.

Don’t Forget!

Your audit can be done by any service organization as they all have access to the files via the Government.  So don’t be afraid to shop around and see how cheap an energy audit can be.

Check out our prices here.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Some retrofits that qualify for ecoEnergy rebates are easy, if I preform these upgrades can I still apply for the grants?

You sure can! If you’re handy and feel you can preform the upgrades, then by all means.  When the energy advisor returns he needs to ensure that any upgrades were installed properly and that you upgraded what you have claimed.

The benefit of the ecoENERGY qualified retrofits is that you the home owner will benefit not only from the initial grants, but also from lower energy bills, which can be substantially reduced up to 40%, according to NRCan.  These green renovations can also create a healthier home environment for you and your family. The best part, greener homes are looked more favorably in the real estate market, which, can fetch you a selling premium.

If you have the ability here is a short and Rebate Value of household items that bring in Government Rebates.

• Furnace
• Boilers
• Replace Central A/C
• Attic Insulation
• Hot Water Heaters
• Exterior Wall Insulation
• Ventilation Systems
• Windows & Doors
• Exposed Floor Insulation
• Basement Insulation
• Toilets
• … and many more!

 Don’t forget to get ANY Government Rebates you need to get an Energy Audit FIRST!!

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Ontario home owners can get $5000 in rebates back from the Government whereas other Provinces can get much more.

• Living in Saskatchewan? you can receive up to $10,000 in rebates and grants.

• Living in British Columbia? You are able to get $12,000 in rebates and grants.

• Living in Ontario? $5000 is the most you can receive currently.

Why is there such a discrepancy between Provinces? Well it’s a matter convoluted by the Provincial Governments who match, improve, or decline to invest at all.  Currently the Federal Government kicks in up to $5000 to all Canadians for ecoEnergy audit upgrades.

Ontario… that’s all you get, $5000 towards home improvements and home efficiency.

Saskatchewan and British Columbia… you get even more as the Provincial Government will match and even beat what the Federal Government is offering.  Take advantage while the audit program is still available.

Book an Audit in BC, Saskatchewan, and Ontario

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

There is a possibility that the era of iconic Canadian log homes is coming to an end with modern building codes.

The Canadian government is pushing for greater efficiency standards and this puts log homes right in the sights.  A log home is literally built with logs and this just cant compete with new synthetic and technology enhanced modern walls. The standard (energy thermal conductivity)  is measured with an R-Value and logs really score low on the scale.

The alarm is not sounding for all, as some are suggesting that a weak wall score can be offset by other factors that increase home efficiency and overall rating.

Living in Ontario? well the Government here has allowed a log wall exception that offsets its inefficiency by increasing ceiling insulation (an avenue where most of a homes heat escapes).

The energuide stipulates that new homes need to meet or exceed 77 on its efficiency scale.  There are talks of this number being increased to 80 as the minimum.  Log homes are normally constructed below this threshold, but with a little preparation and understanding they can be much more efficient.

Are you interested in seeing where your home sits on the energuide scale? An energy audit will test, rank, and place your home on the standardized scale.  This will give you a thorough understanding of where you can make the best gains for the least cost. Read more about an Audit

Do note that there are no laws that say a pre-constructed home has to meet or reach any level, it simply gives you a baseline to see where your home ranks.  The Government hopes that you will take the initiative to increase its efficiency yourself…. Realistically you’re the one paying the heating and cooling bills.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

We Do Energy Audits In Towns and Municipalities Throughout Ontario

You can Qualify for up to 5000 dollars in rebates and government grants for upgrades to your home.  

1. Tankless Water Heaters
2. Furnaces
3. Air Sealing
4. Central Air Conditioners
5. Boilers
6. Solar
7. Heat Pumps
8. Geothermal
9. Windows and Doors
10. Toilets
11. Basement
12. Home Insulation

To qualify for these rebates that the Government of Canada is offering Ontario home owners need to schedule and have a energy audit preformed on their home. The key is that an audit needs to be completed before any renovations or upgrades and then another audit preformed after the work is finished.

The first audit is more intensive and takes about 2 hours whereas the second audit is about 30 minutes and confirms you made the changes your reporting.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Yep we are still doing audits throughout Ontario.  If you are looking to improve the efficiency of your home or maybe your furnace is on the fritz, an audit gets you access to Government Grants to replace your old equipment with new more efficient systems with a free discount!

Send us a message and we can answer any questions you have, and, as always, questions are free!

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Here in Ontario Auditors and the service organizations that they work for are free to set their own price for an energy audit.  For the most part everyone is pretty close in price, expect a fluctuation of about 25$ plus or minus. 

For the most part it is in your best interest to get the audit as cheaply as possible as this will ultimately turn out to be savings in your pocket. 

The first audit in Ontario will cost roughly 350 dollars and the Government will rebate 150$ back automatically.  Then you will complete all your upgrades and schedule the second audit.  This second audit is cheaper and much quicker as the representative is simply there to ensure changes have been made and to upgrade your homes efficiency rating. 

Then comes the waiting part, as we all know the Ontario (Provincial) Government is slow, as well as the Federal.  Eventually you will get the rebate cheques that the Government and Energy Audit program promised you, offsetting a portion of what you paid to upgrade your homes efficiency.

Find out what the cost of an audit for your home is.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits

Dawn Walton recently wrote and article for the Globe and Mail outlining her experience with the Ontario energy retrofit program.  Even though this site does promote and help homeowners get and locate Energy Auditors in their areas she does bring up some valid points. 

Here are a few things I take issue with:

1.  The program has been cut in half, she states that it would cost her 15$ to have the energy audit completed on her home after all rebates had been accounted for.  Her math is correct, but recently the program was cut in half and this has moved the breakeven point down by 50 percent.
2.  She doesn’t account for the information that she gains with an audit. Sure it works out to cost her 15$ but after that audit you have an intimate understanding of your home, where it lacks efficiency and where it’s a star.
3. The audit really shows where the low hanging fruits are, find these and you can make the biggest gains at the lowest cost.
4. She signed up for the audit and based her synopsis on the program by replacing windows; that is probably the worst rebate in the program.  Changing your water heater or furnace can net you well over a 1000$ in rebates, making this program well worth a few hundred dollars extra.

Read the full article here.

Energy Audits - Ontario Home Eco Energy Audits