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Resources
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What Steps are Required?
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Service Area
  • Almonte
  • Carleton Place
  • Mississippi Mills
  • Pakenham
  • Kanata
  • Stittsville
  • Arnprior
  • Snmiths Falls
  • Perth
  • Renfrew
  • Lanark County
  • S Renfrew County
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Steps

Here are the steps involved in an EnerGuide energy efficiency Evaluation!

  • You book an appointment. In the spring and fall an early morning appointment is best, so that there is as large a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house.
  • 24 Hours before the appointment you stop using all wood burning appliances.
  • The day of the appointment, you do these preliminary two steps:
 
  1. Clean out the ashes in your wood burning appliance
    2.  
  2. Turn off your propane or natural gas fireplaces to let them cool down to room temperature
  • We arrive and identifies ourselves
  • The house is measured from the outside, pictures are taken of the outside.
  • We records the number and type of windows and doors
  • We detail and takes a picture of the outside unit of an A/C system or Air Source Heat Pump.
  • We enter the house and examine your attic and takes a picture and records details of the attic construction and insulation type and level, and look for Vermiculite.
  • We visit the various rooms in the house, noting the bathroom and kitchen fans, and type of toilets.
  • We visits the mechanical area to record details of the furnace and hot water heating system, and HRV if present.
  • We looks for signs of moisture issues, and for combustion spillage
  • We ask you to take steps to prepare for the blower door test, and sets up the blower door. The important steps that the homeowner takes to prepare are to close all of the windows and doors, and to at least partly open all of the interior doors
  • We operate the blower door and measures air flow at various pressure levels.
  • We turn off the blower door fan, and asks you to turn on all the fans in the house, including the clothes dryer and central vacuum.
  • We measure the negative pressure that this generates, and records this value. Some houses do not require this test, if you have no devices that are subject to combustion spillage risk.
  • We turns the fan on again, and asks the home owner to walk through the house with us and check for air leakage in a variety of locations that are typically a frequent source of air leaks. We note the location of the leaks that are found, and discuss how these may be sealed. When appropriate a thermal imaging camera is used to detect air leaks and insulation deficiencies.
  • We turn off the blower door fan for the last time and removes the blower door from your doorway.
  • We ask the homeowner if they would like to receive the report that will be generates within the next two weeks by postal mail, or in a PDF file via e-mail.
  • The in house portion is completed.
  • Working at our office we enter the house data into a home energy simulation and modelling program. Then we prepares the list of recommendations for upgrades or changes to your home.
  • We send you our report, and a label assigning an efficiency rating to your house..

 

 

The homeowner can do many of the insulation and air sealing improvements themselves. See our DIY page for more things you can do yourself.