EnerGuide is Growing and Can be Found in Homes Too

Published on November 01, 2018

EnerGuide is Growing and Can be Found in Homes Too

The Government of Canada currently has an official rating system that labels and displays the energy consumption or efficiency of products such as: vehicles, appliances, as well as heating and cooling equipment, but it is also becoming more prevalent in homes as well.

The rating system is called EnerGuide, and has been put in place to help Canadians reduce their impact on the environment, lower their utility bills, and save on energy.

It is common for Canadians to have fuel consumption rates be a significant deciding factor when buying a car, as a more fuel efficient car can save the owner money by travelling further without fueling up. This is in addition to the environmental bonus that comes from an efficient car producing a lower amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

It is less common for Canadians to have the energy consumption of a home influence their decision as significantly as when they look at the gas consumption of a new car. This is to mean that the GJ/year of energy that a home uses is often not held in the same regard as the L/100kms that a car uses.

In Canada, all major appliances (excluding gas ranges) are required to have an EnerGuide label attached to them that displays the unit’s annual energy consumption in kWh. The lower the number on the label, the more efficient the appliance is.

Similarly, on a EnerGuide label attached to a home, the annual energy consumption is displayed, but this time it is in GJ/year.  

With one GJ being equivalent to the energy found in two BBQ propane tanks, a typical new home usually uses about 109 GJ a year - that’s 218 propane tanks used every year! This makes improving home energy efficiency crucial in contributing to a lower amount of greenhouse gas emissions Canada-wide.

Talks are currently ongoing to make an EnerGuide Rating be a requirement for all homes before they are listed for sale. It is possible to voluntarily apply an EnerGuide label to a home before hand, and it can even be used to increase the resale value of a property.  

Lowering a Home EnerGuide Rating

To lower your home’s EnerGuide Rating for energy consumption, you will have to improve the energy efficiency of your home. This can be done in a number of different ways, but it starts by contacting a building envelope consulting firm such as Barrier Sciences Group, and having a Home Energy Assessment and/or Air Tightness Test conducted by a Registered Energy Advisor.

After conducting their tests, our advisors will have all the information about your home that they need in order to provide you with a list of possible energy saving solutions. These suggestions are ranked in order of what would be your most cost-effective way of improving your home’s energy efficiency, while also taking into consideration your specific needs as a homeowner and the needs of your home itself.

Additionally, as an incentive to help Ontarians improve their home’s efficiency, there are a number of home renovation rebates currently available from Union Gas that our Registered Energy Advisors are happy to help you make sense of, and to make sure you will qualify.