Home energy audits in Halifax

Of Halifax's 121,700 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 22% were built before 1961 and 63% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical Halifax house dates from 1981–1990, and an evaluation is how you find out what that means for yours: the blower door measures air leakage, the advisor inspects the attic, walls, basement, windows and heating system, and the report ranks upgrades by what they'd save.

Halifax gets about 3,870 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 −15.9°C. Those figures come from the climate data for Shearwater in HOT2000, the home-energy software Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) gives energy advisors. That's right around 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.

Halifax also gets hot spells and heat waves, so plan how the house will stay cool: air sealing, attic insulation and shading help, and a heat pump adds efficient cooling. Wildfire smoke reaches Halifax 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.

In the Halifax area, 26% of households heat mainly with a heat pump, 20% with electric baseboards, 20% with a boiler and radiators and 12% with a forced-air furnace; electricity is the main heating energy for 28% of households and oil for 23% (Statistics Canada, 2023). The heating system on the report shapes the recommendations: a forced-air furnace invites a ducted heat pump, electric baseboards a ductless one.

Efficiency Nova Scotia's Home Energy Assessment program charges a $199 program fee, waived for households under its income threshold, and covers the initial and final assessments. Moderate Income Rebate participants who paid up front get the $199 back when their rebates are issued.

• Initial evaluation, about 2–3 hours. The advisor measures and inspects the house and runs the blower door test.
• Report and EnerGuide rating. You get the home's energy rating in gigajoules per year and a list of recommended upgrades with estimated savings.
• Do the work. Most rebate programs only count upgrades done after the initial evaluation.
• Follow-up evaluation. A second visit measures the improvement, which is what most rebates pay on.

Read the full guide to home energy audits.