PRE-RETROFIT ASSESSMENT

A Pre-Retrofit Assessment is conducted to measure the efficiency of your home prior to any upgrades or changes.  A typical Pre-Retrofit Assessment takes between 2 and 3 hours.  During this visit the Energy Advisor will take photos, assess your home and note the following information:    

• Geometry of your home
• Attic construction and insulation levels
• Basement/crawlspace construction and insulation levels
• Wall construction and insulation levels
• Heating and cooling system
• Domestic hot water system
• HRV system
• Type of windows, doors and skylights

During the Pre-Retrofit Assessment a blower door test will also be conducted to measure air leakage in your home.  During the visit the Energy Advisor will review areas identified for improvement. Within 14 days of the assessment you will receive a detailed report on your home outlining energy upgrades that will improve your home's overall efficiency. 

POST-RETROFIT ASSESSMENT

A Post-Retrofit Assessment is conducted to measure the efficiency of your home after all upgrades are completed.  A typical Post-Retrofit Assessment takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete.

What is a blower door test?

To perform a thorough energy efficiency analysis of your home, Energy Advisors use specially designed "blower door" test equipment to measure your home's rate of air leakage. Up to 30% of your houses energy consumption can be wasted through air leaks. A blower door test is the best way to identify areas of air leakage.

Air leakage, or infiltration, is a major problem in both new and older homes. Besides wasting hundreds of dollars on energy bills, air leakage paths can cause building durability problems, increase the risk of fire spread, permit insect and rodent entry, and create unhealthy indoor air quality. Reducing air leakage usually adds little to the materials cost of a house and does not require specialized labor.

The blower door is a variable-speed fan mounted on an adjustable panel that can fit into any exterior door opening of your home.  The blower door test simulates a 50 kilometre wind blowing on all sides of your house. 

Here’s how the test is run:

1. Reduce house pressure. When the fan is turned on, the pressure inside your home is gradually reduced to allow outside air to flow into the house through unsealed openings or cracks in the house structure.

2. Measure airflow rate. Pressure gauges connected to the fan measure the rate of airflow required to keep your home at a constant pressure so that the advisor can calculate your home's resistance to air infiltration.

3. Calculate energy efficiency. The results of the test are incorporated into your home's energy efficiency rating. Because airtight homes are energy efficient, a house that has little air leakage will result in a higher rating than a home that has a lot of air leakage.

4. Check ventilation. Advisors also ensure that the home is adequately ventilated as part of their analysis because modern airtight homes must always be adequately ventilated, usually with mechanical ventilation.