Nova Scotia · Energy · checked September 28, 2026

Thermal imaging inspections in Halifax

An infrared camera shows missing insulation, air leaks and damp spots without opening a wall, but only when it's at least 10°C colder outside than inside. Halifax's long heating season gives you months of good scanning weather.

Hands holding an infrared camera aimed at a ceiling corner beside a frosty window; the screen shows a cold streak

Cost

Usually included; confirm

Best conditions

≥10°C inside/outside difference

Winter design temperature

−15.9°C

Houses built before 1961

22%

How Halifax is built

Halifax's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Halifax's 121,700 houses. Before 1961: 22%, 1961–1990: 42%, 1991–2000: 14%, 2001 or later: 22%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 22%
  • 1961–1990 42%
  • 1991–2000 14%
  • 2001 or later 22%
Each house stands for one in ten of Halifax's 121,700 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.

When to book in Halifax

Halifax gets about 3,870 heating degree-days a year and has a winter design temperature of −15.9°C, according to NRCan's HOT2000 climate data for Shearwater. That gives Halifax a long window, roughly late fall to early spring, when the inside-outside difference comfortably exceeds the 10°C an infrared scan needs.

A 1950s brick bungalow on a snowy suburban street at dusk, lamplight in the front window
The same bungalow as an infrared camera sees it: heat glowing around the door, window frames, eaves and the rim joist above the foundation
Illustration: the same house in visible light and in infrared. A winter scan shows where heat escapes: door and window edges, the eaves, and the rim joist above the foundation.

What the camera finds in Halifax houses

Of Halifax's 121,700 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 22% were built before 1961 and 63% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. Older houses are where the camera earns its keep: empty or settled wall cavities, gaps at the top of walls, and cold corners where framing bridges the insulation. Run it with the blower door test depressurizing the house and every leak shows up as a cold streak.

What it costs

Most EnerGuide advisors include an infrared scan with the evaluation, but it isn't required, so confirm when you book. Efficiency Nova Scotia's Home Energy Assessment program charges a $199 program fee, waived for households under its income threshold, and covers the initial and final assessments. Moderate Income Rebate participants who paid up front get the $199 back when their rebates are issued.

NRCan-licensed service organizations serving Halifax

In Nova Scotia, EnerGuide home energy assessments are booked through Efficiency Nova Scotia's Home Energy Assessment program, which assigns one of its Delivery Agent Partners; NRCan's list shows no separate service organizations for Nova Scotia postal codes.

Programs and local help in Halifax

Thermal imaging inspection in Halifax: common questions

When is the best time for a thermal imaging inspection in Halifax?

Late fall through early spring, when it is at least 10°C colder outside than inside. Cold, overcast days with no direct sun on the walls give the clearest images.

Can a thermal camera see through walls?

No. It reads surface temperatures. Missing insulation or an air leak shows up because it changes the temperature of the wall or ceiling surface.

Who does thermal imaging in Halifax?

Ask when you book Efficiency Nova Scotia's Home Energy Assessment.

Thermal imaging inspection near Halifax

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