Ontario · area guide · 66 communities · checked October 8, 2026
Home energy audits, radon and well water testing in Simcoe County
The sixteen towns and townships on this page are home to 350,222 people (2021 Census), and 16% of their houses were built before 1961. This guide covers 66 communities, from Innisfil, Bradford, Alliston, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach to the smallest hamlets, with the local numbers that shape an energy audit or a home health test.
Population (2021)
350,222
Communities listed
66
Houses built before 1961
16%
How Simcoe County is built
- Before 1961 16%
- 1961–1990 36%
- 1991–2000 13%
- 2001 or later 34%
This page covers the 16 towns and townships of the County of Simcoe. Barrie and Orillia are separate cities that aren't part of the county government; Barrie has its own pages. The District of Muskoka, north of the county, has its own section below.
Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Southern Ontario and southern Quebec
Simcoe County’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 Barrie 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 Simcoe County
Energy audits and heat pump sizing
Simcoe County at a glance
People and homes
350,222 people and 151,437 private dwellings in 2021, up 14.6% in population since 2016. On census day (May 11, 2021), 13% of the 151,437 private dwellings in Simcoe County were not anyone's permanent home.
Housing
Of the 122,485 houses in Simcoe County (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 16% were built before 1961 and 52% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical house dates from 1981–1990.
Climate
Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Barrie WPCC (8.9 km from the middle of the area) is 4,254 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −7.7°C. At Muskoka Airport, 10.9 km from Bracebridge, the normal is 4,786 heating degree-days, with a January mean of −10.3°C. The building code's 2.5% January design temperatures for the area run from −21°C to −24°C.
Radon
In Health Canada’s 2012 survey, 0.9% of 110 homes tested in the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit were above the guideline. 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 bacteria testing (E. coli and total coliforms) through Public Health Ontario. Bottles can be picked up and samples dropped off at health unit offices in Barrie, Collingwood, Cookstown, Gravenhurst, Huntsville and Midland. The Orillia office hands out bottles but doesn't take samples; the Public Health Ontario lab in Orillia does both. Bottle pick-up runs Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; sample drop-off is Monday to Thursday before 4:30 p.m., with no Friday drop-offs at health unit offices.
Energy advisors
NRCan's list (checked October 8, 2026) shows 28 service organizations registered for postal codes in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Midland, Penetanguishene, Bradford, Innisfil and Alliston. 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 Simcoe County
Grouped by municipality, with 2021 Census populations. Names come from Natural Resources Canada's geographical names database and Statistics Canada's population centres.
- Town of New Tecumseth 43,948Alliston, Beeton, Tottenham
- Town of Innisfil 43,326Bell Ewart, Big Bay Point, Cookstown, Gilford, Lefroy, Stoney Point
- Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury 42,880Bond Head, Bradford
- Town of Wasaga Beach 24,862
- Town of Collingwood 24,811
- Township of Oro-Medonte 23,017Hawkestone, Horseshoe Valley, Oro, Oro Station, Shanty Bay, Warminster
- Township of Essa 22,970Angus, CFB Borden, Egbert, Thornton, Utopia
- Township of Springwater 21,701Elmvale, Midhurst, Minesing, Phelpston
- Town of Midland 17,817
- Township of Clearview 14,814Creemore, Duntroon, Nottawa, Singhampton, Stayner
- Township of Severn 14,576Amigo Beach, Bass Lake, Coldwater, Marchmont, Port Severn
- Township of Tiny 12,966Wyebridge
- Township of Tay 11,091Port McNicoll
- Township of Adjala-Tosorontio 10,989Everett, Glencairn, Lisle, Loretto, Rosemont
- Township of Ramara 10,377Longford Mills
- Town of Penetanguishene 10,077
District of Muskoka
66,461 people (2021); 40% of its 47,480 private dwellings weren't anyone's permanent home on census day.
- Town of Huntsville 21,147
- Town of Bracebridge 17,305
- Town of Gravenhurst 13,157
- Township of Muskoka Lakes 7,652
- Township of Lake of Bays 3,759
- Township of Georgian Bay 3,441
Covered on city pages
- Barrie 147,829Barrie is a separate city in the middle of the county.
Who does the work in Simcoe County
- Energy evaluations and heat loss calculations: NRCan's list (checked October 8, 2026) shows 28 registered service organizations for postal codes in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Midland, Penetanguishene, Bradford, Innisfil, Alliston. 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 Simcoe County.
- Well water: free bacteria tests through the local public health unit; chemistry through a licensed private lab. Details for Simcoe County.
Rebates and financing for Simcoe County 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)
- Statistics Canada — Census dictionary: private dwelling occupied by usual residents
- Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit — private well water testing
- Statistics Canada — Households and the Environment Survey 2023, primary heating systems (table 38-10-0286-01)
Planning upgrades in Simcoe County?
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