Home energy audits and assessments in Ontario: the 2026 guide

What an Ontario home energy assessment actually is

An energy audit, a home energy assessment and an EnerGuide evaluation are the same service in Ontario. A registered energy advisor working for a service organization licensed by Natural Resources Canada assesses the house from basement to attic: the insulation in walls, ceilings and basement, the windows and doors, the heating, cooling, hot-water and ventilation equipment, and a blower door test that measures air leakage. The data goes into energy modelling software, and you get an EnerGuide rating and a report on possible upgrades (NRCan ↗). The first visit takes about two hours, the follow-up about one (Home Renovation Savings ↗).

Ontario's rebate programs work on two visits: an initial assessment before you renovate and a follow-up assessment afterwards that measures what changed. Anything you do before the first visit doesn't count.

What a home energy assessment costs

Few advisors publish prices, so expect to ask. Typical Ontario prices are about $500–$700 for the initial assessment and $200–$450 for the follow-up, plus HST where it applies. Windfall Ecology Centre charges $500 and $250 plus HST (Windfall ↗); Reep Green Solutions charges $540 and $406 with no HST, as a registered charity (Reep ↗); and the City-backed programs in London and Waterloo Region tell participants to expect $500–$700 for the first visit (BetterHomes London ↗, RetrofitWR ↗). NRCan puts the two visits together at $600–$1,000 on average (NRCan ↗). Bigger homes cost more. Our Ontario cost guide lists the providers who publish their rates.

The Home Renovation Savings rebate covers up to $600 of that bill, but only if both assessments come from one of the seven approved organizations below and you finish the program's steps in time. Windfall and Reep aren't among the seven.

The $600 rebate — and the 2026 deadline

Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program, run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, pays up to $600 toward your two assessments once you've completed at least two recommended upgrades. On top of that: insulation up to $7,700, $100 per window or door opening, $200–$250 for air sealing, $500 for a heat pump water heater, and a $500 bonus for three or more upgrades (program page ↗). Totals are capped at $5,000 per home if you heat with Enbridge gas, or $10,000 if you heat with electricity, oil, propane or wood, the $600 included.

The deadline is what matters now. The follow-up assessment has to be booked by November 30, 2026 and completed within 180 days of the first visit or by December 31, 2026, whichever comes first, and rebates are paid only while program funding lasts (program terms ↗). Starting this fall means booking the initial assessment now and lining up contractors before the report arrives.

Gas-heated homes qualify only as Enbridge Gas customers. If your gas comes from Kitchener Utilities or Utilities Kingston, confirm eligibility with the program before you book.

Finding an energy advisor in Ontario

Energy advisors don't work alone: each is registered with NRCan and works through a licensed service organization, which is who you book with (NRCan ↗). NRCan lists the licensed organizations for existing homes by province (NRCan ↗), and our Ontario directory lists them by region with review links.

Any registered advisor can give you an official EnerGuide rating. For the Home Renovation Savings rebates, though, the assessments must come from one of the program's seven approved service organizations: AmeriSpec, Canada Energy Audit, Greenbrain, Energuy, Energy Werx, NRGwise and The Home Inspectors Group (program FAQ ↗). The program emails you that list after you fill in its eligibility form.

Every other licensed organization, the community non-profits included, is still the right call for everything else: financing such as Toronto's HELP loans, heat pump sizing, a pre-purchase rating, or simply knowing where your heating money goes. Our guide to energy audit companies in Ontario lists every licensed option.

Is there a free home energy audit in Ontario?

Not for most households. The free route is income-tested: Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program sends an energy-efficiency expert for a free energy needs assessment and, in homes heated by electricity or oil, can add insulation, draft proofing, a programmable or smart thermostat and a cold-climate heat pump at no cost. It covers households under its income limits (from $48,220 for one person to $127,576 for seven or more) and people receiving benefits such as ODSP, Ontario Works, LEAP, OESP or the Guaranteed Income Supplement (Save on Energy ↗).

A "free audit" from an insulation, window or HVAC company is a sales visit, not an EnerGuide assessment, and it won't qualify you for any rebate.

When an audit is required

For a house, an energy audit is never legally required to sell or renovate in Ontario. It's required by the programs that pay you: the Home Renovation Savings assessment path and most Toronto HELP loans. Large buildings are different: owners of buildings of 50,000 sq ft and up must report energy and water use every year (ontario.ca ↗). Details in when an energy audit is required in Ontario.

How to book one

1. Decide whether you want the Home Renovation Savings rebates. If you do, use one of the seven approved organizations and move before the fall deadlines.
2. Get two or three quotes. Ask for the price of both visits and the current wait for a first appointment.
3. Book the initial assessment, and don't start any work before it.
4. Complete at least two of the recommended upgrades with contractors of your choice.
5. Book the follow-up assessment with the same organization, then submit your invoices for the rebates.

Not sure what your house needs yet? The Home Energy Planner reads your home's era and symptoms and lists the tests to ask for by name.