Alberta · Energy · checked September 28, 2026

Blower door testing in Red Deer

A blower door test measures how leaky a house is and shows where the leaks are. In Red Deer, with about 5,515 heating degree-days a year, every leak runs up the heating bill for most of the year.

Get matched in Red Deer → The blower door test, step by step
A red blower-door panel with a large fan fitted into the front doorway of a brick bungalow, a pressure gauge on a stool inside

Cost

Included in an evaluation

Evaluation price

Expect $400+

Licensed organizations

23

Companies NRCan licenses to do EnerGuide evaluations

Houses built before 1961

8%

Older houses usually leak more and have less insulation

How Red Deer is built

Red Deer's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Red Deer's 31,405 houses. Before 1961: 8%, 1961–1990: 39%, 1991–2000: 14%, 2001 or later: 40%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 8%
  • 1961–1990 39%
  • 1991–2000 14%
  • 2001 or later 40%
Each house stands for one in ten of Red Deer's 31,405 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row and duplex), drawn by when it was built. The glow shows the usual pattern: older houses tend to be leakier and less insulated. More snow in the drawing means more heating degree-days: a longer, colder heating season. Sources: Statistics Canada 2021 Census (table 98-10-0233-01), NRCan HOT2000 climate data.

Why air leakage matters in Red Deer

Red Deer gets about 5,515 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 −28.9°C. Those figures come from the climate data for Red Deer Regional in HOT2000, the home-energy software Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) gives energy advisors. That's the 7th-highest heating demand of the 70 cities we cover. Cold winters: heating is the biggest energy cost, so stopping leaks and insulating come first.

Wildfire smoke reaches Red Deer in some summers. The Government of Canada's advice is to keep windows and doors closed, limit exhaust fans and use the best filter your system can handle, so ask the advisor what your furnace or HRV can take.

Of Red Deer's 31,405 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 8% were built before 1961 and 46% 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.

After you seal: two checks

What it costs in Red Deer

A blower door test is part of every EnerGuide evaluation rather than a separate purchase. There's no provincial rebate or price list; the City of Edmonton's guidance is to expect more than $400 and to get two or three quotes.

How the test works

  • 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.

Prairies Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

What this means in Red Deer’s climate

Long, very cold, very dry winters: air sealing, radon testing and humidity balance lead.

Why it matters here: Measures leakage and, with a thermal scan, pinpoints attic bypasses and rim joist and window leaks.

Best timing: Any season; most revealing with a thermal scan on a cold, calm day.

  • Seal the top and bottom of the house. In deep cold, warm air rises and escapes through attic leaks while cold air is pulled in down low. Sealing both saves heat and helps prevent attic frost and ice dams. Ask: Ask the registered energy advisor to find attic bypasses, rim joist gaps and basement penetrations during the blower door test.
  • Insulate the basement and rim joists. Basements can account for about 20% of a home's heat loss. Check for cracks and water entry first; Manitoba's clay soils cracked some foundations during the 2021 drought. Ask: Ask whether the basement is dry enough to insulate from inside, and how much air leaks at the rim joist.

What else homes in Red Deer need →

Sources for this climate guide · checked October 26, 2026

NRCan-licensed service organizations serving Red Deer

A service organization is a company that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) licenses to deliver EnerGuide evaluations; its registered energy advisors do the home visit. A blower door test is part of every EnerGuide evaluation, so any organization below can do one in Red Deer. Ask to walk the house with the advisor while the fan runs.

Source: NRCan list of licensed service organizations, checked September 28, 2026. Call to confirm your street is covered and ask about wait times.

Programs that include a blower door test in Red Deer

Provincial · needs an evaluation Clean Energy Improvement Program (Alberta) Property-tax financing in 27 Alberta municipalities, with an EnerGuide evaluation required; Calgary is closed until winter 2026/27 and Edmonton is waitlisting Open · deadline

Blower door test in Red Deer: common questions

Where can I get a blower door test in Red Deer?

Book an EnerGuide evaluation with any of the 23 NRCan-licensed organizations serving Red Deer; the blower door test is part of every evaluation.

How much does a blower door test cost in Red Deer?

It is included in an EnerGuide evaluation. There's no provincial rebate or price list; the City of Edmonton's guidance is to expect more than $400 and to get two or three quotes.

What is a good blower door result?

Lower is better. Your EnerGuide report compares your air changes per hour at 50 Pa with homes of the same era, which is more useful than a single target number.

Does air sealing affect radon?

It can. Tightening a house changes the pressure difference with the soil, so test for radon before and after major air sealing.

Blower door test near Red Deer

Blower door test in Calgary136 kmBlower door test in Edmonton144 kmBlower door test in Sherwood Park144 kmBlower door test in Lethbridge296 kmBlower door test in Kelowna470 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026. Census figures are for the municipality (Alberta); climate data is NRCan's HOT2000 station Red Deer Regional (10 km away).

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