Energy Audit Required Before Listing Your Home?

According to the Ontario government’s latest Climate Change Action Plan, as of 2019, any home listed for sale will first require an energy audit. The government report states that,

“Energy audits would be required before a new or existing single-family home can be listed for sale, and the energy rating will be included in the real estate listing…The Home Energy Rating and Disclosure program will improve consumer awareness by allowing homebuyers to compare homes by energy rating.”

Will this really measure what the government is hoping or will we just be doing more busy work at the behest or whim of the government?

Some buyers already ask to see the heat and hydro bills before making an offer but this information can be extremely misleading. It only tells you what the current owners have used not what you will use. The size of the family, whether they are consistent in turning off lights and appliances when not in use, whether they have an automatic set back on their heating and a/c system for when they are away or at night, and what temperature they find most comfortable among other things will all change the amount of energy draw in the property.

A coalition of environmental groups including the Pemba Institute has stated that nearly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from energy use in homes and buildings. That being said, if we are going to contribute to the climate change goals set out in the Paris Accord we do need to do something to reduce our carbon footprint. The question is, exactly what do we do? We don’t need more ineffective regulations. What we need are ideas that work. Any thoughts? There is still time for the government to change their thinking.

If you are looking to buy a newly built property you can ask the builder if what you are buying is an:

1. ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED HOME. These are built to new standards and are approximately 20% more energy efficient than those built to code.

2. R-2000 HOME. The R-2000 rating was revised in 2012. Those with this rating as of 2012 have even higher levels of energy efficiency as well as including clean air and environmental features.

NET-ZERO-ENERGY HOUSING might be a major focus for you if you are buying new or resale in the near future. In its “About Your House” series, CMHC explains that homes listed as net-zero-energy, whether they are newly built or are retrofitted older homes, are designed so that the house can produce as much energy in a year as it consumes. In the past few years a few older properties across the country have been retrofitted with an eye to reaching these standards. They are now being followed to see how effective they will be for those who are living in them.

I would like to see us move forward in productive ways not just blindly instigating regulations without really researching whether or not they will be effective.