One of the first steps in the Clean Energy Financing (CEF) process is a Home Energy Assessment (HEA). Many Nova Scotians have heard of these assessments, but what do our experts do and what are they looking for?

This quick guide will help you get ready for a HEA and what to expect.

Why does Clean Energy Financing need a Home Energy Assessment?

We do an HEA so we can produce a report that shows how you can save money on your energy costs. For CEF, this helps us understand the home’s current energy usage and provide the best possible advice for upgrades. It also helps you understand what upgrades will make the biggest difference to your home and energy bills, why we recommend specific upgrades and how provincial and federal rebates can be accessed.

What happens when we arrive at your home?

When the Energy Advisor arrives at your home, they’ll greet you and give you a run down on the HEA process and what they’ll be looking out for. Of course, they’ll also do a quick check of the property for any potential safety hazards before they move on with any detailed inspection.

Next, the Advisor will inspect the exterior of the home and measure features such as doors, windows and the length of the foundation. All of this data helps to build a profile of the home for us to analyze.

What does an Energy Advisor look for inside your home?

The inspection of the inside of your home is comprehensive, starting from the bottom working up to the top. The Energy Advisor will take a lot of photos and measurements of all the mechanical systems in the home, like any heating and cooling systems and hot water cylinders. They’ll also measure the insulation thickness and note the construction of the walls so they can rebuild an accurate model of the home digitally.

They’ll run a blower door test where they use a fan placed in the main door to check where air enters and leaves the home.

What happens next?

After they’ve assessed your home, the Energy Advisor will create a digital profile of the property to understand where there’s room for improvement and which upgrades could make a difference. For , they’ll also ensure you’re informed of the rebates that are available for your specific upgrades. During a home assessment for CEF the Energy Advisor will also collect any additional information you are willing to share such as utility and fuel costs that will help in determining the payback ratio of the upgrades.