First steps to greening our home

On February 1, I called my friend John Suttie, who works with City Green Solutions, the only non-profit provider of ecoENERGY home assessments in BC, to find out what would be involved in arranging an audit of our new home so that we will be eligible for grants for the energy effiency upgrades we make. He said that I would have to book him through City Green directly and that he would have them call me.

The next day, I received a call from one of their friendly customer support staff and we arranged our audit for February 16th. They sent a detailed email explaining the process and requesting several items in order to do the audit:

• Ensure your advisor has access to all rooms in the home, including suites
• Ensure your building envelope is intact (i.e. no holes in the windows, exterior walls, or ceiling)*
• Close all windows and doors to prepare for the blower door air leakage test
• Sweep your fireplace hearth, close dampers, and do not have a fire for 24 hours before the assessment**
• Clear access to the crawl space and/or attic
• Have your Property Tax Roll number and Fortis and Terasen Gas account numbers available for the advisor (we are under the City of Kelowna Utility, which is contracted to Fortis, so I called the City for this information)

Here is more information about City Green:

Our Certified Energy Advisor will begin your assessment by answering any questions you have about the ecoENERGY program and hearing about the retrofit plans you may have in mind. Next, the advisor will do a complete review of your heating system, windows, doors, ventilation and insulation. They will also conduct a blower door fan test to identify air leakage. At the end of your visit, the advisor will give you a verbal report on their findings and will make recommendations for improving your home energy efficiency. You will receive a written report, a home energy rating and a personalized retrofit plan within one week of your visit. The advisor will be required to take photos of the exterior of your house as well as key mechanical systems, for grant application and quality assurance purposes.

Your Certified Energy Advisor will also provide you with LiveSmart BC’s Low Carbon Lifestyle Guide with information on how you can live a Low Carbon Lifestyle by making climate smart choices on home energy use, waste, water use and transportation. Our energy advisors can answer your questions and direct you to local resources and information. For further information please see www.livesmartbc.ca/ and visit LiveSmart BC’s online carbon calculator.

Before your assessment, we invite you to visit our website, read our client success stories and visit our tips and Frequently Asked Questions pages for ways to reduce your energy bills.