Ontario · 16 local services · checked September 28, 2026

Home energy audits and home testing in Ottawa

Ottawa gets about 4,354 heating degree-days a year, 16% of its houses were built before 1961, and 26 NRCan-licensed service organizations list its postal codes. Pick a service for the local details.

Energy audits in Ottawa → All 16 services
A Victorian red-brick semi-detached house with a front porch in autumn

How Ottawa is built

Ottawa's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Ottawa's 287,345 houses. Before 1961: 16%, 1961–1990: 40%, 1991–2000: 13%, 2001 or later: 32%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 16%
  • 1961–1990 40%
  • 1991–2000 13%
  • 2001 or later 32%
Each house stands for one in ten of Ottawa's 287,345 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row and duplex), drawn by when it was built. The glow shows the usual pattern: older houses tend to be leakier and less insulated. Snowfall scales with heating degree-days. Sources: Statistics Canada 2021 Census (table 98-10-0233-01), NRCan HOT2000 climate data.

Ottawa at a glance

Climate

Ottawa gets about 4,354 heating degree-days a year and has a winter design temperature of −24.3°C, according to NRCan's HOT2000 climate data for Ottawa International.

Housing

Of Ottawa's 287,345 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 16% were built before 1961 and 56% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical house dates from 1981–1990.

Heating

In the Ottawa (Ontario) part of the Ottawa–Gatineau region, 69% of households heat mainly with a forced-air furnace, 10% with electric baseboards and about 6% with a boiler and radiators; natural gas is the main heating energy for 59% of households and electricity for 21% (Statistics Canada, 2023).

Radon

Health Canada's 2012 survey found 6.2% of 64 homes tested in the City of Ottawa Health Unit health region above the guideline. The larger 2024 Cross-Canada survey reports 17.0% (1 in 6) of houses at or above the guideline for Ottawa-Gatineau Metro Area (Ottawa-Gatineau CMA).

Communities around Ottawa

Ottawa's pages cover the whole City of Ottawa, including Richmond.

The organizations and professionals listed for Ottawa may or may not travel to every community, so ask when you call.

Local service guides for Ottawa

Energy audits and tests

An energy advisor’s kit on a front-hall bench: infrared camera, pressure gauge with tubing, tape measure, headlamp and a floor sketch

Home energy audit

26 licensed organizations
A red blower-door panel with a large fan fitted into the front doorway of a brick bungalow, a pressure gauge on a stool inside

Blower door test

4,354 degree-days
Hands holding an infrared camera aimed at a ceiling corner beside a frosty window; the screen shows a cold streak

Thermal imaging inspection

4,354 degree-days
A kitchen table with a house floor plan, a laser measure, a tape measure and a laptop showing the plan

Heat loss calculation

Design temp −24.3°C
A duct-testing fan on a basement floor connected by flexible duct to a furnace, a pressure gauge hanging from a joist

Duct leakage testing

69% forced-air
A gloved hand inserting a combustion analyzer probe into a furnace flue pipe in a basement

Combustion safety test

59% heat with gas
A heat recovery ventilator on a basement wall with four insulated ducts running up between the joists

Ventilation and humidity assessment

32% built since 2001
Loose-fill insulation between attic joists, a yellow ruler showing its depth and frost on the roofing nails above

Attic insulation inspection

56% built before 1991
Utility bills and a phone showing a monthly energy-use chart on a kitchen table

Energy bill analysis

Hydro Ottawa / Hydro One

Home health tests

A small digital radon monitor on a bookshelf in a finished basement family room

Radon testing

17.0% at or above guideline (2024)
A carbon monoxide alarm on an upstairs hallway wall outside the bedrooms at night

Carbon monoxide testing

Required by law
A moisture meter pressed into water-stained basement drywall, an air-sampling pump on a tripod nearby

Mould and indoor air quality testing

56% built before 1991
A gloved hand holding a sealed sample bag above vermiculite insulation between attic joists

Asbestos and vermiculite testing

56% built before 1991
A gloved hand swabbing layers of cracked old paint on a wooden window sill

Lead paint testing

16% built before 1961
Filling a water-sample bottle at a farmhouse kitchen tap with the aerator removed, snowy fields and a barn outside

Well water testing

Wells common

For businesses and buildings

An auditor walking between rooftop heating and cooling units on a snowy commercial roof

Commercial energy audit

6 incentive programs

Who does energy evaluations in Ottawa

26 NRCan-licensed service organizations list Ottawa postal codes. See the list with phone numbers and coverage →

Ontario directory: verified advisor profiles for Ottawa, with prices where published.

City programs in Ottawa

Better Homes Ottawa Loan Program

City of Ottawa low-interest loan repaid on the property tax bill: 20-year term at 4.33% fixed, minimum $10,000, maximum $125,000 or 10% of the tax-assessed value (whichever is less), 4% administrative charge. Covers insulation, air sealing, windows, heat pumps, water heaters, solar PV, batteries, Level 2 EV chargers and more. Pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide assessments required. Detached, semi, townhouse and multi-unit buildings of 3 storeys or less. Delivered with EnviroCentre (page updated July 2026, 'Enroll today').

Better Homes Ottawa Heat Pump Incentive

City incentive for loan-program participants only: $700/ton for cold-climate air-source heat pumps (central or mini/multi-split; NRCan cold-climate list, 80%+ capacity maintenance, at least 12,000 BTU, 55 dB or less); ground-source $1,000/ton plus $5/m of vertical well depth or horizontal loop.

Better Homes Ottawa EnerGuide assessment reduction

For a limited time, loan-program participants can receive a $600 reduction on their approved loan after completing the program, toward the required EnerGuide assessment. Not available to applicants who get the $600 assessment rebate from the Home Renovation Savings Program.

Better Homes Ottawa services (hotline, Energy Coaches, Home Retrofit Planner)

City-funded services delivered by EnviroCentre: a home energy hotline (1-877-580-2582) that helps book EnerGuide assessments, one-on-one or group sessions with Energy Coaches (Registered Energy Advisors), and a Home Retrofit Planner service costing about $1,000 to $1,500 per home for loan participants (free for eligible low-income participants). The site says an initial assessment typically costs $500 to $700 and a follow-up $200 to $300.

Rebates and financing for Ottawa homes

Provincial · needs an evaluation Home Renovation Savings — Home Energy Assessment path Up to $10,000 per home ($5,000 if heated with Enbridge gas), including $600 back on your two assessments, for insulation, windows, air sealing and more — if the follow-up assessment is done by December 31, 2026 Open · deadline Provincial Home Renovation Savings — direct rebates (no assessment) Heat pumps up to $7,500 ($12,000 ground-source), solar with battery up to $10,000, plus attic, thermostat and appliance rebates — no assessment needed Open Federal National Heat Pump Rebate Announced October 8, 2026 and opening early 2027: up to $10,000 below the median income, $2,000 for other eligible homeowners Announced · opens 2027 Federal CMHC Eco Improvement premium refund A 25% energy-efficiency rebate on your CMHC mortgage insurance premium after $20,000 of energy renovations Open

Cities near Ottawa

Gatineau13 kmKingston139 kmLaval155 kmMontréal161 kmTerrebonne163 kmLongueuil175 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026.

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