We had our ecoENERGY audit completed on February 16th and within one week we had the report. Here's what the report told us about the energy efficiency of our home:



"The results of your pre-retrofit energy evaluation show that your house rates 54 points on the EnerGuide scale. If you implement all of the recommendations in this report, you could reduce your energy consumption by up to 58% and increase your home's energy efficiency rating to 81 points. The average energy efficiency rating for a house of this age in British Columbia is 56 whereas the highest rating achieved by the most energy-efficient houses in this category is 80."

Our housing type is defined as single detached, two-stories. The exciting part is that we could improve our efficiency by over 50%! That's amazing! The other interesting part is that the "equivalent leakage area" of our home is 1337 sm2, which is equivalent to .1337 meters squared, or having 1.44 square foot hole in the wall!

So, the summary of recommendations in order of EnerGuide points, followed by the ecoEnegy rebates we are eligible for, are as follows:

1. Upgrade our heating system to a [ductless] heat pump system - 17.1 points ($500)
2. Improve wall insulation to above R9 (we have NO insulation in our walls)! - 9.0 points ($1,269)
3. Replace 13 windows and 2 doors ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B - 4.1 ($600)
4. Improve attic/roof insulation to R20/R28 respectively - 3.1 points ($680)

Air sealing, domestic hot water and crawlspace insulation and water conservation all scored below two points, but collectively will add up for a relatively low cost investment (ecoEnergy rebate is $2,005 for all upgrades).

Our plan is to start with the "low-hanging fruit," i.e. the low cost investments such as insulation and air sealing that will provide a short-term return. We'll then move towards the larger investments, ideally financing some of the costs with our savings from the smaller steps.