When Leon Slabbert and Kate Dunn relocated this summer from Britain to Ottawa, which ranks just behind Mongolia's Ulan Bator as the world's coldest capital, they bought themselves a drafty six-bedroom home.
So it didn't take the promise of government rebates to persuade them it would be a good idea to have an energy audit to review the home's heating, sealing and insulation.
But the cash incentives didn't hurt. They hired a certified energy inspector in August to give their home a top-to-bottom appraisal, the initial step required to qualify for federal grants - matched by Ontario - for the resulting work.
Mr. Slabbert and Ms. Dunn are among a growing number of Canadians getting their homes energy audited, now that the federal government has reinstituted a program that provides rebates for energy-saving upgrades as part of its environmental effort.
Mr. Slabbert, who trained as an architect, says he had a good idea what was needed to make the house less sieve-like, but wanted a more scientific assessment of where he would get the most bang for his buck.
And Ms. Dunn said she was motivated by more than improved comfort and lower energy bills. "I had very strong climate-change reasons for getting the audit," she said.
The couple signed up for the federal government's ecoEnergy Retrofit program, which in conjunction with several provincial plans offers grants for energy-saving upgrades.
After cancelling a similar program begun under the previous, Liberal government, the Conservatives relaunched the home energy audit program last spring as part of an effort to improve the country's energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
The federal grants range from a major portion of the upgrade - $600 for an $1,800 insulation job, for example - to a far more modest percentage - $30 per window for a project that can cost $20,000. Most provinces also provide grants; Ontario matches the federal benefit dollar-for-dollar, resulting in a $1,200 grant for that $1,800 insulation job.
Providers of audit services say business is booming across the country, and they are constantly training new auditors to keep up with the demand.
But is the effort worth it, for the climate or for homeowners?
Energy experts level two main criticisms at this type of program. Some say the government is paying for upgrades that individuals would have done without a grant, and that homeowners are encouraged to spend thousands of dollars for a modest payoff in terms of lower energy bills.
The program offers benefits that are broader than a simple subsidy for one energy-saving upgrade project, said Peter Moffatt, president of Building Insight Technologies Inc., which provides energy audits under the name HomePerformance.
"The audit is not about single measures," Mr. Moffatt said. "It's about your opportunity to do a complete retrofit. ... People can learn about how their whole house currently works and all the problems that exist in the house."
The second concern is that the audit - which is based on federal government software - paints with a fairly broad brush. It assumes standard patterns of use - that you keep your home at a certain temperature, for example - and can miss particular features in a home.
Mr. Slabbert and Ms. Dunn got some unexpected tips from their inspection.
Earlier this fall, Nick Sherbourne, an evaluator with AmeriSpec Canada, went through his routine at their west-end Ottawa home, which was built in 1964 and had original doors and windows. He checked for insulation in the attic, in the walls and in the basement; examined the doors and windows; noted the efficiency rating of the furnace and water heater, and even checked the flush capacity of the toilets.
After making his notes, Mr. Sherbourne had the homeowners shut all their windows and doors, then set up a fan-like blower at the front door to measure how leaky the house was.
Mr. Sherbourne said he does his best to ensure the homeowners know exactly what to expect by going over the process with them before he arrives for the audit.
