Energy Audit

Goldfinch Energy is proud to partner with Energy Neighbour, a company that shares our values and is focused on helping Toronto neighbours electrify their homes.

 

What is a Goldfinch Energy Audit?

An energy audit looks at the energy use in your home and helps you determine where your home is losing heat.

An energy audit with a Goldfinch energy advisor is more thorough than a typical audit-for-rebates. Our team will take the time to carefully measure your home and do our best to establish insulation levels. Insulation detection may involve removing outlet covers on external walls and, in cold weather, using thermal imaging. During the air leakage test, we look for drafts in your home and let you feel the leaky areas to get an idea of problem areas that could be fixed to improve comfort and efficiency.

We use measurements and data to inform our recommendations and we aim to provide a heat loss calculation that is as accurate as possible. Heat loss calculations can be helpful when sizing a heat pump. Depending on the energy advisor you work with, we can also provide an analysis of the ductwork capacity and provide these recommendations to you, Energy Neighbour and their partner HVAC contractors.

We can also help to diagnose hot and cold issues that may be stemming from issues with ductwork and we have experience with heat pumps, solar panels and green renovation approaches.

Our assessments take some time to complete but our clients frequently tell us how much they appreciate the quality.

What to Expect During an Energy Audit

Initial Assessment

For most of the energy audit we will quietly take measurements and photos inside and outside of your home. We will try to establish insulation levels in walls and if you have an attic hatch, we will poke our head inside to measure the insulation in that part of the house. We will also take note of your windows and your existing mechanical equipment (heating, hot water and ventilation). During the air leakage test (using a blower door), we will block off a door to the outside and run a large fan to quantify the draftiness of the house. If you have a fireplace, it should be cleaned out in advance to avoid having ash blow around during the test. At this point, you may want to join us for an air leakage tour to feel drafts that could be closed up to improve comfort and efficiency. After we have a feel for your house, we will discuss our findings with you. The entire assessment usually takes around 2.5 to 3 hours depending on the complexity of the house.

Upon Completion of the work

A post-retrofit energy audit may be needed to complete a loan or rebate application or if desired to confirm the updated state of the home.

The post-retrofit assessment is much shorter than the pre-retrofit assessment. Its purpose is to document the changes that were made to the home. We will take photos and conduct another blower door test to compare the airtightness of the home to the results of the pre-retrofit test. The on-site part of this assessment can usually be completed within an hour unless the home has undergone an addition or several upgrades have been made.

Rebates and Loan

Rebates

Goldfinch Energy Advisors are registered with Energy Werx Corp., which is one of the Service Organizations that is licensed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to deliver the Home Renovation Savings rebate program. Access to this program can be added to our base services for an additional fee. We will be happy to discuss this option with you during our visit to your home. For more information on the rebate program, please visit the Home Renovation Savings website.

Greener Homes Loan Process

Preferred Rates with Energy Neighbour

Pre-Retrofit Energy Audit: $650*

  • A Goldfinch Energy audit includes:

    • Air leakage tour

    • Thermal imaging (when the outdoor temperature is 0C or colder)

    • Heat loss and heat gain calculations (useful for HVAC contractors to help with sizing and selecting heat pumps)

    • Ductwork measurements (useful for HVAC contractors to help with sizing and selecting heat pumps)

    • “Kitchen table” debrief conversation to discuss your goals, our findings, rebates and financing options and next steps

    • EnerGuide reports (note that these reports are quite templated) that are submitted to our Service Organization so that you can apply for the rebates with the Home Renovation Savings Program and the zero-interest Greener Homes loan.

      *Note the cost is typically $800

  • Note that if you do not plan to apply for any programs that require an energy audit (i.e. Home Renovation Savings Program, Greener Homes loan), the cost will be reduced to $500.

  • Cost to add a customized Roadmap report (useful if you'd like a detailed report to help you decide what improvements to make on your home now and over time) + $100.

Post-Retrofit Energy Audit: $300

  • When required to complete a rebate application or loan application for the Greener Homes Loan and City of Toronto HELP Loan.

  • If you're doing an addition, a $100-$200 fee may be applied to the post-retrofit audit depending on the extra time required to remodel the home in the energy audit software program.