EnerGuide Rating

An EnerGuide rating is a standard measure of your home's energy performance. It shows you (and future buyers) exactly how energy efficient your home is. It also shows you that your builder has met its commitment to making your home significantly more energy efficient.

How Does the Rating System Work?

Your home's energy efficiency level is rated on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating of 0 represents a home with major air leakage, no insulation and extremely high energy consumption. A rating of 100 represents a house that is airtight, well insulated and sufficiently ventilated and requires no purchased energy.

For a brand new house, a rating of 80 or higher is excellent.

How Is the Rating Calculated?

The EnerGuide rating is calculated by a professional EnerGuide energy advisor by using information collected from the following:

• an analysis of the building plans before the home is built
• results of the blower door test performed after the house is built

The advisor works with details about the home's energy systems, construction materials and assembly, and uses a modelling software program developed for this purpose by Natural Resources Canada. To ensure the rating measures how the house itself uses energy – irrespective of the occupants' energy-using habits – the calculation is based on the house having the following standard operating conditions:

• four occupants
• a thermostat setting of 21°C (70°F) on main floors and 19°C (66°F) in the basement
• a total domestic hot water consumption of 225 litres per day
• lighting and appliance electricity consumption of 24 kilowatt hours per day
• a minimum monthly average ventilation rate of 0.35 air change per hour during the heating season

Once your home is completed and the advisor has performed the final evaluation, you receive your EnerGuide rating label.