British Columbia · 16 local services · checked September 28, 2026

Home energy audits and home testing in Nanaimo

Nanaimo gets about 2,939 heating degree-days a year, 15% of its houses were built before 1961, and 23 NRCan-licensed service organizations list its postal codes. Pick a service for the local details.

Energy audits in Nanaimo → All 16 services
A two-storey Vancouver Special house on a rainy street above a mossy retaining wall

How Nanaimo is built

Nanaimo's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Nanaimo's 33,520 houses. Before 1961: 15%, 1961–1990: 40%, 1991–2000: 18%, 2001 or later: 28%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 15%
  • 1961–1990 40%
  • 1991–2000 18%
  • 2001 or later 28%
Each house stands for one in ten of Nanaimo's 33,520 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.

Nanaimo at a glance

Climate

Nanaimo gets about 2,939 heating degree-days a year and has a winter design temperature of −3.2°C, according to NRCan's HOT2000 climate data for Comox, the closest comparable location in that data set (87 km away).

Housing

Of Nanaimo's 33,520 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 15% were built before 1961 and 54% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical house dates from 1981–1990.

Radon

Health Canada's 2012 survey found 0.9% of 109 homes tested in the Central Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area health region above the guideline. The larger 2024 Cross-Canada survey reports 1.3% (1 in 75) of households at or above the guideline for Pacific Coastal Canada (Vancouver Island, Sea-to-Sky, Sunshine Coast, northern BC coast, Lower Mainland and western Fraser Valley up to but not including Chilliwack).

Local service guides for Nanaimo

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

23 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

2,939 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

2,939 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 −3.2°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

2,939 degree-days
A gloved hand inserting a combustion analyzer probe into a furnace flue pipe in a basement

Combustion safety test

2,939 degree-days
A heat recovery ventilator on a basement wall with four insulated ducts running up between the joists

Ventilation and humidity assessment

28% 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

54% built before 1991
Utility bills and a phone showing a monthly energy-use chart on a kitchen table

Energy bill analysis

BC Hydro

Home health tests

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

Radon testing

1.3% at or above guideline (2024)
A carbon monoxide alarm on an upstairs hallway wall outside the bedrooms at night

Carbon monoxide testing

Not required (recommended)
A moisture meter pressed into water-stained basement drywall, an air-sampling pump on a tripod nearby

Mold and air quality testing

54% built before 1991
A gloved hand holding a sealed sample bag above vermiculite insulation between attic joists

Asbestos and vermiculite testing

54% built before 1991
A gloved hand swabbing layers of cracked old paint on a wooden window sill

Lead paint testing

15% 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 rare

For businesses and buildings

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

Commercial energy audit

7 incentive programs

Who does energy evaluations in Nanaimo

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

City programs in Nanaimo

Home Energy Assessment Rebate

City of Nanaimo pays $150 toward an initial EnerGuide home energy assessment by a certified energy advisor (apply within 24 months of the receipt), and up to $200 for a follow-up assessment at $10 per 5 GJ/yr reduction in the EnerGuide rating (at least 5 GJ reduction). The advisor must hold a City business licence. The program page was last updated Nov 2024, is still listed on the City's rebates page, and may end without notice.

Home Energy Navigator (City of Nanaimo / Regional District of Nanaimo)

Free Energy Concierge service for Nanaimo residents, launched by the City and the RDN and delivered by City Green Solutions, to help plan retrofits and find rebates. The City page (updated Jan 2026) promotes it.

Rebates and financing for Nanaimo homes

Provincial · needs an evaluation BC Home Energy Improvement Bonus $20 for every percentage-point your home improves — $750 minimum, $2,000 maximum — or $300 for any two upgrades Open Provincial CleanBC Energy Savings Program Free energy-saving upgrades for income-qualified BC households — insulation, heat pumps and more, installed at no cost Open · deadline Federal CMHC Eco Improvement premium refund 25% back on your CMHC mortgage insurance premium after $20,000 of energy renovations Open Federal Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program Free retrofits for low-to-median-income households in BC, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, PEI and Quebec — not available in Ontario Open · deadline

Cities near Nanaimo

Richmond64 kmVancouver65 kmDelta73 kmBurnaby74 kmCoquitlam83 kmSurrey86 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026.

Planning upgrades in Nanaimo?

Tell us where you are and what you’re planning. We’ll connect you with a registered service organization for your area — no spam, no shared lead lists.

Email us what you’re planning, your postal code and the type of building (a house, a duplex or triplex, or a larger multi-unit building) — we’ll reply with registered service organizations for your area and which rebates apply.

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