Blower door testing in Burlington

Burlington gets about 3,449 heating degree-days a year, a measure of how much heating its climate needs, and its winter design temperature, the cold day heating systems are sized for, is −15.6°C. Those figures come from the climate data for Burlington Piers in HOT2000, the home-energy software Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) gives energy advisors. That's about 12% less heating demand than the middle of the 70 cities we cover. A moderate heating season with warm summers: fixes should cut heating bills and keep the house cool.

Burlington summers are hot and humid, so the air sealing and insulation that cut heating bills also keep the house cooler, and a heat pump can do the cooling more efficiently than an old air conditioner.

Of Burlington's 54,425 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 15% were built before 1961 and 63% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. Older houses usually test leakier than newer ones, and an EnerGuide report compares your result with homes of the same era, so you can see whether your house is typical or a problem.

• Combustion safety. In the Hamilton area, the main heating energy is natural gas for 65% of households. A tighter house changes how fuel-burning appliances vent, so the spillage check should be repeated after serious air sealing. Combustion safety testing in Burlington
• Radon. Sealing shifts the pressure balance between the house and the soil. Health Canada's 2012 survey found 4.9% of 102 homes tested in the Halton Regional Health Unit health region above the guideline. The larger 2024 Cross-Canada survey reports 12.0% (1 in 8) of houses at or above the guideline for the Hamilton, ON (Hamilton CMA) metro area. Test before and after big air-sealing jobs. Radon testing in Burlington

A blower door test is part of every EnerGuide evaluation rather than a separate purchase. Typical Ontario prices are about $500–$700 for the initial EnerGuide evaluation and $200–$450 for the follow-up, plus HST where it applies. Windfall Ecology Centre charges $500 + HST for the initial evaluation and $250 + HST for the follow-up, Reep Green Solutions charges $540 and $406 with no HST, and City-backed programs in Ottawa and London quote $500–$700 as typical for the first visit. Only assessments from the seven HRSP-approved organizations qualify for the $600 Home Renovation Savings rebate, and none of the seven publishes a price.

• A calibrated fan is fitted into an exterior door and pulls air out until the house is at 50 pascals, the standard test pressure.
• The result is air changes per hour at 50 Pa (ACH50): how many times an hour the whole volume of air would leak out and be replaced at that pressure.
• While the fan runs, you and the advisor walk the house and feel for leaks at the attic hatch, rim joists, pot lights, trim and plumbing and wiring penetrations.
• A second test after the work shows what changed, and it is what most rebates pay on.

The blower door test in detail.