Energy Audits/Evaluations

[*EnergyAdvisor*]

Hello all,

I am a new member and have been reading up on many threads inquiring about current government grants and rebates for energy upgrades to your home. I thought I would start this thread to help people understand the available grants associated with the program.

I am a licensed Energy Advisor and have conducted over 300 audits. I am also a Civil Engineering graduate from U of W.

I provide energy evaluations anywhere in the GTA and surrounding areas. My service is quality based and I make sure every client is satisfied prior to completion of the audit.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my best to answer all of them.

Thank you

[jumbojones]

I just got my first cheque today from the Feds, yay! Now let's see how long the Provence drags their heels.

[aeonrush]

What areas have you seen most upgrades performed? ie: water heater, furnace, insulation...? Where do you think the most bang for buck is?

[*EnergyAdvisor*]

Hey,

The most upgrades I've seen performed are with the furnaces. People are upgrading their 20+ year old furnaces to the high efficiency ones. The grant is almost $1600.00 for a condensing, high efficiency furnace. Also, there is the continuous savings by getting the high efficiency furnace as well. I've had clients that have reduced their heating bills almost in half by getting one of these furnaces.

The second most bang for your buck would have to be insulation. Either that be attic, basement or adding wall insulation, I think the grants for those upgrades are quite sufficient.

Please let me know if you have anymore questions.

[LL29]

What is a good price for an energy audit.

I've read before on rfd that getting a good auditor can be a crap shoot.

What company do you work for and if I use your company would I get you?

[*EnergyAdvisor*]

Hey,

The most competitive rates in the GTA right now are $300.00 for the first audit and $150.00 for the second. This is what I charge, unless there is significant travel required.

I agree with you, there are people that consider themselves as "good" auditors but like what your doing; you have to do your research.

I am partnered up with EnWise Building Science.

If you use our company I can guarantee you the following:

* You will be working with civil engineers who are graduates of the University of Waterloo and have extensive knowledge in the fields of building
science, civil engineering, and technology.
* All our advisors are certified by NRCan
* We provide a detailed report on the energy efficiency of your home within 5 business days
* We provide you with an EnerGuide label
* We will complete and submit your grant application forms
* We exceed the minimum evaluation requirements outlined by NRCan
* We provide full recommendations on upgrades for your home
* We offer unbiased advice because we are not selling any products
* We Uphold a strict code of ethical conduct and provide quality service

Should you have any further questions please do ask.

You can also call me at 416-473-0693

[ET4041]

I would disagree with the notion that the insulation rebates are "adequate". For attic insulation, yes it covers a good chunk of the cost. For wall insulation, the grants are marginal. To add styrofoam insulation as part of residing the upper half of the house, we are looking at an incremental cost of $7000 plus tax. The grant would be $1125 for up to R7 and $1875 for +R7. On a cost of materials basis, it may be adequate - when you factor in the labour, it is not.

Best bang for buck is furnace (and AC because AC would be changed at the same time as furnace + you get a grant from OPA as well) then attic insulation, then air sealing.

[j8lam]

Does the audit include heat/gain calculations and then a recommendation for A/C size?

For the ventilator rebate, does the exact model need to be listed in the HVI product directory to qualify? I'm interested in a Lifebreath 195TRV or 195ECM which I think are newer models, but they aren't listed in the March 1, 2010 directory.

It sucks that new homeowners don't get anything for energy efficient choices. I paid the builder several thousand dollars to upgrade wall/attic insulation, get low-e argon windows, yet there's no rebate for that. Now with A/Cs, the price difference for a higher efficiency model is too big without a rebate to justify.

[*EnergyAdvisor*]

Hey,

I'm afraid the audit does not conduct any inspections or calculations for heat/gain which could help you determine the size of the A/C required. The HVAC contractor (if he's good) should be able to help you with this and determine an appropriate size of unit for your home.

In order to receive the ventilation rebate the Heat Recovery Unit must be HVI Certified. If that sticker is present on the unit then it qualifies for the rebate.

It does suck that their are no rebates for getting high efficiency components installed a new house. There are a few programs out there such as EnergyStar which does give new homes a rebate, however the builder must take part and there are many requirements.

[jsm123]

Just wanted to comment and say the I had the pleasure of using the **EnergyAdviser** for my energy audit and I was very pleased and recommend him to others. Very professional and really took the time to explain all the rebates. He did a great job of showing me all the possible improvements I should do and also prioritized them for me for maximum payback. Now I have huge list of things to work on this summer


Thanks again

[gr8dlr]

The best bang for the buck in my opinion is buying a toilet. I'm actually getting more than 100% back for my investment ($130 from Fed and Ont plus I got $75 from the City for a $120+tax investment).

The worst bang for the buck in terms of rebates is windows. They pay $80 per opening (I'm replacing three windows that actually have three windows in the one opening so I only get $240 for 9 windows).

Wonder if you can comment....I had an energy audit done and I'm not 100% confident that the auditor documented everything....I'm taking pictures of befores and afters to try and assure the auditor of what was there and what I replaced (eg. toilets).

[death_hawk]

I should do an Energy Audit.

I literally can't account for about 2kWh of usage in my house, let alone everything else that's sliding by.

[*EnergyAdvisor*]

The toilets are a good rebate to chase and they also help you save money in the long run in terms of water consumption. I find a lot of my clients have mixed feelings about the low flush toilets due to the fact they find themselves flushing twice and using the same amount of water as their old toilet did. For that reason I always suggest they invest in a dual-flush toilet that way they have the option of using 6 liters or the 12 if need be. The dual flush toilets are a bit more expensive and you most likely won't get back 100% of your investment.

It doesn't hurt to take your own pictures. However, the pictures are only one portion of the submission to the government. The house file or model is the important aspect and the rebates are given based on the file. Good idea keeping your own proof though, doesn't hurt.

Good luck with getting your rebates!

[sjparker]

I got a call from the feds who wanted to do a survey about our energy auditor. She asked a lot of questions about what he said and what he covered while he was there. Has anyone else had that?

[voodoo401]

I got a call from the feds who wanted to do a survey about our energy auditor. She asked a lot of questions about what he said and what he covered while he was there. Has anyone else had that?

One of my co-workers was audited to make sure that the info submitted by an auditor was correct, this is to prevent fraud from happening.