How Lévis is built
- Before 1961 14%
- 1961–1990 46%
- 1991–2000 13%
- 2001 or later 26%
Why it matters in Lévis
In the Québec area, 64% of households heat mainly with electric baseboards, 12% with a heat pump and about 8% with a forced-air furnace; electricity is the main heating energy for 78% of households (Statistics Canada, 2023).
The risk rises after air sealing: a tighter house plus a strong exhaust fan or dryer can pull exhaust back down a chimney. That's why advisors test for spillage during an evaluation and why it should be repeated after serious tightening.
The CO alarm rule in Quebec
Quebec has no province-wide rule requiring CO alarms in existing houses: provincial rules cover larger multi-unit buildings, and for houses it's up to each municipality's by-law, so ask your local fire service.
What the check involves
- Worst-case depressurization: exhaust fans and the dryer on, doors set to make the appliance room as negative as it gets.
- A spillage and draft check at each appliance, with a CO reading.
- A plan if anything fails: often a sealed-combustion appliance or a fix to the venting, done by a licensed gas or oil technician.
Very Cold East Northern Ontario, Saguenay, Quebec City
What this means in Lévis’s climate
Deep, snowy winters: stop ice dams, and pair a cold-climate heat pump with backup heat.
Why it matters here: In gas-heated Ontario homes, tightening can make appliances spill exhaust.
Best timing: During the blower door visit.
What else homes in Lévis 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 pumps, Canada Greener Homes (NRCan)
- Heat pump basics (NRCan)
- Primary heating systems by household, Table 38-10-0286-01 (Statistics Canada)
- 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure
- Guide for Radon Measurements in Homes (Health Canada)
- Canada's top weather stories of 2023 (ECCC)
- Conditions for thermal scans, ASTM C1060 summary (Cx Associates)
NRCan-licensed service organizations serving Lévis
In Quebec, EnerGuide evaluations for existing homes run through the provincial Rénoclimat program; the organizations below are the ones NRCan lists for Lévis postal codes.
A service organization is a company that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) licenses to deliver EnerGuide evaluations; its registered energy advisors do the home visit. Energy advisors check for combustion spillage during an evaluation; fixing a venting problem is work for a licensed gas or oil technician.
- Expertbâtiment Services-Conseils
- Legault-Dubois
- Habite-Co 2000
Combustion safety test in Lévis: common questions
Are CO alarms required in Lévis homes?
Quebec has no province-wide rule requiring CO alarms in existing houses: provincial rules cover larger multi-unit buildings, and for houses it's up to each municipality's by-law, so ask your local fire service.
Who does combustion safety testing?
Energy advisors check for spillage during an EnerGuide evaluation. Repairs to venting or appliances are done by a licensed gas or oil technician.
I have CO alarms. Isn't that enough?
Alarms warn you once CO is already in the house. A spillage test finds a venting problem before it produces CO.