PREPARING FOR THE PRE or POST- ENERGY ASSESSMENT

To prevent delays during the assessment please ensure that the following is done in preparation before the day of the assessment:

• Granting Permission– Ensure that someone will be at the building site to give permission and allow for access for the Energy Assessment.
• Identify Homes with Secondary Suite – Notify us if you have a suite attached to or as part of your home, as we possibly will have to prepare and schedule time for additional tests.
• Identify building as a MURB’s – A house with a secondary suite is considered a Multi Unit Residential Building ( MURB) and the assessment needs to to account for the potential for additional occupants and increased baseloads compared to a single dwelling.

• Notification to tenants-Notify your tenants that we will need access to the suite to do assessment and additional tests…
  Landlords must provide 24 hours’ written notice and can refer then to this website Landlord access to rental units – Province of British Columbia
• Documents – The energy advisor needs to collect the following on the day of the assessment:
  • A printed copy of the most recent property tax notice for the home being assessed.
  • A printed copy of a recent utility bill (preferably electrical account).
  • The name and address on these documents should be the same as for your grant or loan application.
    • If you have the above documents in electronic form – you can send them to us ahead of time and we will print here at the office.
• Documents for a Post Retrofit assessment – Printed copies of invoices / receipts for upgrades completed
  Please also note the following document requirements if you need to apply for rebates.
• Discussion and Wrap-up – We need up to 3 hours to complete the assessment and the tests, and would request that you are available during the first and last half hour of the period as we would like to get the forms signed as well as allow you to witness and discuss the results of the tests and thermographic scan that we will be doing at the end of the assessment.

Prepare your home for the home evaluation

For an energy advisor to do an EnerGuide evaluation, your home must meet the following conditions:

• Access – You must provide a clear path to all attic spaces, crawl spaces, mechanical equipment and other hard-to-reach areas. If you’re not sure what the energy advisor will need to access, contact us.
• Heating – At the time of the evaluation, your home must have, at minimum, a space heating system in place that can keep the interior living space at 22 degrees Celsius.
• Windows and doors – All windows and doors must be in place. (A maximum of one window or door may be missing as long as it is temporarily covered and air-sealed.) Broken window panes must be air-sealed with materials such as taped polyethylene for during the blower door test. Close all windows and doors properly to ensure the test is accurate.
• Envelope – If any temporarily air-sealed location fails during the blower door test, your home cannot be evaluated. The building envelope – which includes ceilings directly below the roof and attic spaces, exterior walls, exposed floors, windows and doors – must be intact, including interior and exterior surfaces. If the exterior finish is not intact, the home cannot be evaluated. The energy advisor will note this detail. Any renovations underway within the house can affect only interior partitions and may not break the building envelope.
• Foundation – Your home must rest on its permanent foundation or be a permanently moored float home.
• Power – The blower door test equipment needs a supply of standard AC electrical power. If power is not available from a utility, you must arrange for a suitable power supply and tell the service organization about this situation.
• Water and sewer – Potable water must be supplied by the municipality or from private wells or cistern systems. Sewer service must be provided by the municipality, a private septic system or a holding tank (outhouses and bio-toilets are permissible as toilets).
• Operating kitchen – Kitchen space must include a sink, an operating stove (i.e., no portable devices) and a minimum of six square feet (0.5 square metres) of counter space or evidence of future intent to install a permanent counter (i.e., not just a kitchen table).
• Wood-burning appliances:Âremove all ashes from any wood-burning appliances so they’re not drawn into the house during the blower door test.Â

The day of your evaluation

Do not use fuel-fired space heating or water heating systems.ÂThe blower door test could affect safe operation of your gas appliances. Also do not use any wood-fired or other solid-fuel fired appliances. You can return all equipment to normal settings at the end of the test.

Your energy advisor will give you a Notice to Homeowner consent form. Take time to read it thoroughly. If you’re comfortable with the terms, sign the form to authorize the evaluation.

The energy advisor will review the evaluation’s scope, length and purpose and explain the data-collection process. The advisor will take photos of your home’s exterior, its mechanical systems, attic space and any wood-burning appliances. All data and photos are strictly protected within the guidelines of privacy legislation.

If you wish, the energy advisor will explain the tools used in the evaluation. Feel free to ask questions.

The advisor often begins with the exterior of your home and then evaluates the interior. The data collected includes

• the level of your home’s airtightness, using a blower door test
• the insulation levels of your walls, ceilings and basement
• the number, type and location of all windows and exterior doors
• the size and efficiency ratings of your space heating, space cooling and water heating equipment
• information about any ventilation equipment
• any other information relevant to your home’s energy performance
• infra red photos taken during blower door test

When the evaluation is over, your energy advisor will confirm all relevant information. The advisor may discuss related program information and ask you to participate in a survey.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

The post-retrofit assessment may need to include the same tests as for the pre-retrofit assessment – including the blowerdoor test.

Homeowners are requested to comply with the following on the day of the assessment  :

• All rooms must be accessible for measurements. This includes the basement and attic. Please remove obstructions to access.
• Warn Tenantsand ensure that 24 hour notice is given in terms of the Tenancy Regulations.
• Please close all windows and doors to the outside of the house in preparation for testing.
• If you have a fireplace – it needs to be clear of ashes as the blowerdoor test will cause a huge mess if the fireplace is not swept !
• People cannot enter and exit the house during the test with the blowerdoor – please inform all residents.
• Prepare paper copies of invoices and specification documents for energy advisor when requesting a Post Retrofit Assessment or send the document to us ahead of the assessment date and we will review

 The homeowner under whose name the Greener Homes application was submitted MUST be present at the assessment to sign the authorization form.

Let us know if any of above creates a problem for you. Contact us at 250 492 2423