Ontario · area guide · 14 communities · checked October 8, 2026
Home energy audits, radon and well water testing in Durham Region
The three towns and townships on this page are home to 55,704 people (2021 Census), and 24% of their houses were built before 1961. This guide covers 14 communities, from Port Perry, Uxbridge and Brock to the smallest hamlets, with the local numbers that shape an energy audit or a home health test.
Population (2021)
55,704
Communities listed
14
Houses built before 1961
24%
How Durham Region is built
- Before 1961 24%
- 1961–1990 42%
- 1991–2000 13%
- 2001 or later 21%
This page covers north Durham: the townships of Scugog (Port Perry), Uxbridge and Brock. Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and Clarington have their own pages, which also cover their hamlets.
Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Southern Ontario and southern Quebec
Durham Region’s climate: Great Lakes–St. Lawrence
Cold winters and hot, humid summers: seal the attic, dry the basement, plan cooling.
This region has real winters and hot, humid summers, so bills come from both heating and cooling. Natural gas heats most Ontario homes, while most Quebec homes use low-cost electricity. An EnerGuide evaluation here should cover air sealing and the attic, cooling and dehumidification, and keeping the basement dry before insulating it.
Seal air leaks and top up the attic
Air sealing is still the first retrofit. In the snowier Ottawa–Montreal–Sherbrooke belt, a leaky, under-insulated attic also causes ice dams.
Right-size cooling to control humidity
In humid summers, an oversized air conditioner or heat pump cools quickly but shuts off before removing moisture, leaving rooms clammy. A heat pump replacing the air conditioner also covers much of the heating.
Keep the basement dry before insulating
Basements can be about 20% of heat loss, but insulating a damp basement from the inside can rot the new wall. Flash floods have hit Toronto and Montreal repeatedly.
When to book: Book the evaluation in winter (December to February) for clear thermal scans, and start a 3-month radon test in fall. Check the basement after spring thaw or heavy rain, and line up cooling work before summer.
Everything homes in Oshawa need →
Sources for this climate guide · checked October 26, 2026
- National Building Code of Canada 2020, climate data (NRC)
- Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (ECCC)
- Keeping the Heat In (NRCan)
- Air-Source Heat Pump Sizing and Selection Guide (NRCan)
- Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump (NRCan)
- Heat pump basics (NRCan)
- Gas and heat pump hybrid systems (NRCan)
- Primary heating systems by household, Table 38-10-0286-01 (Statistics Canada)
- Electricity price comparison, April 2025 (Hydro-Québec)
- Canada's top weather stories of 2018 (ECCC)
- Canada's top weather stories of 2022 (ECCC)
- Canada's top weather stories of 2023 (ECCC)
- Canada's most impactful weather stories of 2024 (ECCC)
- Canada's top weather stories of 2025 (ECCC)
- 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure
- Guide for Radon Measurements in Homes (Health Canada)
- Conditions for thermal scans, ASTM C1060 summary (Cx Associates)
Six local guides for Durham Region
Energy audits and heat pump sizing
Durham Region at a glance
People and homes
55,704 people and 22,341 private dwellings in 2021, up 2.3% in population since 2016.
Housing
Of the 19,285 houses in Durham Region (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 24% were built before 1961 and 66% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical house dates from 1971–1980.
Climate
Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Lindsay Frost (30.6 km from the middle of the area) is 4,357 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −8.4°C. The building code's 2.5% January design temperatures for the area run from −20°C to −24°C.
Radon
In Health Canada’s 2012 survey, none of the 95 homes tested in the Durham Regional Health Unit were above the guideline, a small sample that doesn't rule radon out. The larger 2024 Cross-Canada survey reports 12.4% (1 in 8) of homes at or above the guideline for Ontario as a whole.
Wells
Free water testing for all Durham Region residents. North Durham pick-up and drop-off: the Health Department's North Office, 181 Perry Street, Port Perry, and the Township of Uxbridge office, 51 Toronto Street (both Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 to 9 a.m.); the Township of Brock office, 1 Cameron Street East, Cannington, hands out bottles only. Regional Headquarters in Whitby (605 Rossland Road East) takes samples until 10 a.m. for same-day delivery, and the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex in Bowmanville is another site. Samples must reach the lab within 24 hours.
Energy advisors
NRCan's list (checked October 8, 2026) shows 23 service organizations registered for postal codes in Port Perry and Uxbridge. Confirm they travel to your community.
Heating
Province-wide, 58% of Ontario households heat mainly with natural gas, 18% with electricity, 4% with propane and 1% each with oil and wood (Statistics Canada, 2023); there's no published breakdown for this area alone.
Every community in Durham Region
Grouped by municipality, with 2021 Census populations. Names come from Natural Resources Canada's geographical names database and Statistics Canada's population centres.
- Township of Scugog 21,581Caesarea, Greenbank, Nestleton Station, Port Perry, Prince Albert
- Township of Uxbridge 21,556Goodwood, Leaskdale, Udora
- Township of Brock 12,567Beaverton, Cannington, Sunderland
Covered on city pages
- Pickering 99,186Pickering's page covers Brougham, Claremont, Greenwood and Whitevale.
- Clarington 101,427Clarington's page covers Hampton, Newcastle, Newtonville and Orono.
- Whitby 138,501Whitby's page covers Ashburn.
- Oshawa 175,383Oshawa has its own pages.
- Ajax 126,666Ajax has its own pages.
Who does the work in Durham Region
- Energy evaluations and heat loss calculations: NRCan's list (checked October 8, 2026) shows 23 registered service organizations for postal codes in Port Perry, Uxbridge. See them with phone numbers; confirm they travel to your community.
- Radon: certified measurement and mitigation professionals are listed in the C-NRPP directory ↗.
- Wood stoves and chimneys: WETT-certified professionals are listed in the WETT directory ↗; see wood-burning inspections in Durham Region.
- Well water: free bacteria tests through the local public health unit; chemistry through a licensed private lab. Details for Durham Region.
Rebates and financing for Durham Region homes
Nearby city pages and guides
Sources
- Statistics Canada — 2021 Census population and dwelling counts (table 98-10-0002-01)
- Statistics Canada — 2021 Census, households by period of construction and dwelling type (table 98-10-0233-01)
- Statistics Canada — 2021 Census population centres (table 98-10-0011-01)
- NRCan — Canadian Geographical Names Database (official place names)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
- National Research Council — National Building Code of Canada 2020, Appendix C, Table C-2 (climatic design data)
- Health Canada — Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes, final report (2012), Table 5
- NRCan — Service organizations for existing homes (list checked October 8, 2026)
- Land Information Ontario — municipal boundaries (lower and single tier)
- Evict Radon National Study with Health Canada — 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure (report v1.1)
- Durham Region Health Department — private well water testing
- Statistics Canada — Households and the Environment Survey 2023, primary heating systems (table 38-10-0286-01)
Planning upgrades in Durham Region?
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