Thermal imaging (thermographic) inspections in Halifax

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 gives Halifax a long window, roughly late fall to early spring, when the inside-outside difference comfortably exceeds the 10°C an infrared scan needs.

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. Older houses are where the camera earns its keep: empty or settled wall cavities, gaps at the top of walls, and cold corners where framing bridges the insulation. Run it with the blower door test depressurizing the house and every leak shows up as a cold streak.

Most EnerGuide advisors include an infrared scan with the evaluation, but it isn't required, so confirm when you book. 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.