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

Home energy audits and home testing in Vancouver

Vancouver gets about 2,768 heating degree-days a year, 31% of its houses were built before 1961, and 29 NRCan-licensed service organizations list its postal codes. Pick a service for the local details.

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

How Vancouver is built

Vancouver's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Vancouver's 115,455 houses. Before 1961: 31%, 1961–1990: 31%, 1991–2000: 13%, 2001 or later: 25%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 31%
  • 1961–1990 31%
  • 1991–2000 13%
  • 2001 or later 25%
Each house stands for one in ten of Vancouver's 115,455 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.

Vancouver at a glance

Climate

Vancouver gets about 2,768 heating degree-days a year and has a winter design temperature of −4.4°C, according to NRCan's HOT2000 climate data for Vancouver International.

Housing

Of Vancouver's 115,455 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 31% were built before 1961 and 62% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. The typical house dates from 1981–1990.

Heating

In the Vancouver area, 32% of households heat mainly with a forced-air furnace, 31% with electric baseboards, 12% with a boiler and radiators and 5% with a heat pump; natural gas is the main heating energy for 42% of households and electricity for 39% (Statistics Canada, 2023).

Radon

Health Canada's 2012 survey found 1.2% of 83 homes tested in the Vancouver Health Service Delivery Area health region above the guideline. The larger 2024 Cross-Canada survey reports 0.9% (1 in 113) of houses at or above the guideline for Vancouver Metro Area (Vancouver CMA).

Local service guides for Vancouver

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

29 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

2,768 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

2,768 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 −4.4°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

32% forced-air
A gloved hand inserting a combustion analyzer probe into a furnace flue pipe in a basement

Combustion safety test

42% heat with gas
A heat recovery ventilator on a basement wall with four insulated ducts running up between the joists

Ventilation and humidity assessment

25% 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

62% 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

0.9% at or above guideline (2024)
A carbon monoxide alarm on an upstairs hallway wall outside the bedrooms at night

Carbon monoxide testing

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

Mold and air quality testing

62% built before 1991
A gloved hand holding a sealed sample bag above vermiculite insulation between attic joists

Asbestos and vermiculite testing

62% built before 1991
A gloved hand swabbing layers of cracked old paint on a wooden window sill

Lead paint testing

31% 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 Vancouver

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

City programs in Vancouver

Water heater replacement requirement (By-law 14578)

City rule set to start January 1, 2027: a water heater being replaced must be replaced with a model that is at least 100% efficient. On May 21, 2026 Council directed staff to report on repealing the by-law, so whether it takes effect is uncertain.

Rebates and financing for Vancouver 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 Vancouver

Burnaby10 kmRichmond11 kmCoquitlam18 kmDelta20 kmSurrey25 kmLangley41 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026.

Planning upgrades in Vancouver?

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.

Email dave@clickshift.ca

This inbox is answered by a person. Participating advisors pay us a referral fee — you pay nothing, and it never affects the directory.