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).

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

Mold and 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 for insulation, windows and air sealing, plus $600 back on your assessments — 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 CMHC Eco Improvement premium refund 25% back 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.

Planning upgrades in Ottawa?

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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